Vale Of Misery
by Meowzy-chan
Summary: A KratosxYuan Alternate universe fic! Yuan, a halfelf who is forced to rob people for money, comes into contact with Kratos. Little does he know, the future has a lot of misery in store for the two. ,,More info inside,, Shounenai, but not hardcore!
1. A Destined Meeting

Tales of Symphonia, vale of misery.

Disclaimer: I totally don't own Tales of Symphonia, or the characters, or whatever.

This story is alternate universed! Okay, not that alternate universed, since it's still set in the ToS world. It's just that I flicked around a few bits of the timelines, and changed some of the character's background stories and roles. I can't really explain it, so you'll just have to read it.

Dedicated to **Katandshadow**, who urged me to write this stuff, and helped me think of a title!

The story is YuanxKratos, with non-explicit sex/rape in later chapters. Unless I suddenly have a change of heart, and tune it down to implied. But that would be kinda hard. Ohwell, I'll see how it turns out.

For those who read my Idiot seraphim series, don't expect this story to be updated as often. The chapters are almost twice as long, and take longer to write. Heh.

I think... That's it. Yeah, so enjoy the story, and leave me reviews so I know what you think.

* * *

Chapter one. 

It was such a simple plan. A plan that had been executed quite a few times now. Seduce them, and steal their wallet when they're not paying attention. It doesn't matter if it's a man or a woman. As long as it's a human, because they have money.

"What's your name?"

"Kratos. Kratos Aurion. And yours?"

"... Yuan. Just Yuan."

"Alright then, just Yuan. What is it that you want?"

"Why don't you find out for yourself?"

And so the two men were liplocked. One of them, confused. He'd done this trick so many times now. It was always the same. Flirt, kiss, make their wallet disappear and get the hell outta there. But this time, it was different. Yuan couldn't quite understand, but for some reason he didn't want the kiss to stop. He felt a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach, and quite enjoyed the way the other man was stroking through his hair. It halted quite abruptly, though, when the man suddenly stopped and backed away a little. Yuan's mind erupted in chaos, as he watched the auburn-haired man stare at his ears.

"You're a... half-elf."

Yuan's eyes widened in shock as he stepped back. He knew at once the charade was over. Doing the first thing that popped into his mind, he hopped over the ledge of the balcony they were standing on, and landed on his hand and feet in the snow, twenty feet below. He didn't bother to regain his balance, because he didn't have to. He immediately ran off. He ran halfway across the city of Flanoir, and finally stopped to lean against a wall. He sank to the ground breathing heavily. It was all over. Yuan cursed his half-elf blood. Why couldn't humans just accept them as living beings too? Why did they see half-elves as dangerous? He pulled his knees up to his face, and barely noticed it was snowing. He couldn't remember a time when misery hadn't left him. Even when she was still alive, it was there. Maybe he should just give up and die too. Nobody would truly miss him. How long he sat there, he didn't know. He could just remember the cold, nipping at his skin and numbing his body until he blacked out.

* * *

Yuan awoke, feeling slightly groggy. He wondered where he was, and why he wasn't freezing to death. He slowly opened his dark green eyes, and stared at a ceiling. Blinking, he sat up and looked around. He was in someone's bedroom. Sunlight was streaming in through the window, meaning it was already morning. 

'Well, this is new...' he thought. He wondered what he was supposed to do. Should he call for someone, or check out the hallway? Or should he escape through the window? He didn't have to resort to any of those things, though, as the door suddenly opened.

"Oh, you're up." Kratos Aurion entered the room, pulled a chair away from a desk and sat down next to the bed.

"W-what..." Yuan began, but he couldn't find the words to finish that sentence.

"You're lucky I found you. You nearly died." Kratos said.

"You could've left me. I'm just a lowly half-elf, after all." Yuan avoided the man's eyes.

"I didn't mean it like that. I was just shocked to encounter a half-elf. There aren't many of them here in Flanoir." Kratos explained, shocked to find that his words had had such a big impact.

"We're here alright. We mostly hide from humans."

There was a small silence, which was broken when Kratos got to his feet.

"I'll let you get some more sleep now."

"Okay."

Kratos smiled gently at the blue-haired half-elf, before closing the door.

* * *

After a few hours, Yuan decided to get up anyway. He got dressed and headed downstairs, to find that Kratos was already making lunch. 

"It's soup." Kratos said, as Yuan tried to peek into the pot. "Sit down. It'll be ready in a little while."

"Oh. Okay." Yuan took a seat at the dinner table, and stared blankly out the window. It wasn't snowing anymore, but the town was shining a bright white, as usual. There was a long silence, as Yuan got lost in thought. He'd really messed up. After five minutes, Kratos placed a steaming bowl in front of him. "Hey, it looks good!"

"My own recipe." Kratos said proudly. He walked past Yuan, into the hallway and shouted "Lloyd! Lunchtime!"

"Lloyd? You got a dog or someth-" Yuan began, but his question was answered when a small boy came running into the kitchen. He had spiky brown hair, and didn't look as if he was much older than one year.

"Blue!" Lloyd announced, pointing at Yuan.

"W-what?"

"Blue." Lloyd crossed his arms and nodded wisely.

"It's because of your hair." Kratos explained, and he chuckled lightly.

"Hungry!" Lloyd proclaimed, throwing his arms up.

"Up you go." Kratos picked the boy up from the ground and placed him in a chair, before turning back to grab a bowl of porridge. "Remember to eat all of it this time."

"Yuck." Lloyd said shortly, but he buried his spoon in the porridge anyway.

"You... have a kid?" Yuan asked blankly. Kratos nodded. "So where's his mother? Off to the market or something?" Yuan didn't realize that was a quite personal question, until after he noticed Kratos's expression. The man's eyes suddenly turned dark, and he stared out the window.

"She died... giving birth." he said shortly.

"Oh! I'm so sorry!"

"No, it's alright. You... wouldn't know."

There was another long silence, which was broken when a spoonful of porridge came soaring past Yuan's ear.

"Lloyd!" Kratos said sharply, but the boy was too busy entertaining himself to listen. Soon, another spoonful whizzed past, and the spoon itself followed a few seconds after. "Lloyd, if you don't stop playing with your food, I won't read you a story tonight."

"Nawwwwwwwwww." Lloyd replied sadly, and his eyes dropped to stare at his bowl. Kratos handed him a new spoon.

"He's quite active..." Yuan commented.

"Yeah, he is a bit of a handful." Kratos grimaced, and Yuan noticed that his eyes still looked sad.

* * *

((... Well? You like? It may seem a bit boring now, but the plottwists later on will make it fun.)) 


	2. Caught

Tales of Symphonia, vale of misery.

((A/N: Hey, wow, I got reviews! Thanks everyone!))

* * *

Chapter two. 

An hour later, Yuan and Kratos were standing outside, saying their farewells.

"Thanks for everything." Yuan said, smiling. His cloak was whipping in the wind.

"Blue leaving?" Lloyd asked sadly. The boy was sitting on top of Kratos's shoulders.

"Don't worry Lloyd. I'll come and visit you." Yuan assured him.

"I'll keep you to that promise." Kratos said, brushing a strand of auburn hair out of his face.

"Heh. Okay." Yuan turned and walked off. When he reached the corner of the street, he turned back one last time to wave at the man and his son, before the house disappeared from view.

* * *

Sighing, Yuan headed for an old shack, on the other side of town. He knocked two times, and the door unlocked itself, to be opened from the inside. 

"Where have you been?" Hissed a man with long blond hair, as he grabbed Yuan's arm and pulled him into the building, before locking the door again. Yuan was about to answer, when the man stopped him. "You know what, I don't even want to know! We have more pressing matters."

"We do?" Yuan slumped down on a chair and looked around. He and his partner had bought this place a couple of years ago. It was old and musty, and the wallpaper was peeling slightly. But at least it had a couple of rooms, and a fireplace.

"Yes! We were going to break into that art collector's house, remember?" the man pressed.

"I thought we ruled that plan out, because it's too dangerous?"

"No. _You_ wanted to rule it out. But I say we go there anyway. Just think of all the money we can make, selling his junk."

"Which is useless when we get caught." Yuan frowned.

"Whatever. I'm going to break in there tonight, with or without you." the man said, grinning in a strange way.

"Fine. I'll go with you." Yuan sighed. Yggdrasill always knew how to make him feel guilty.

* * *

When the sun had started to set, and darkness was falling on Flanoir, two figures were standing in the snow, staring up at a house. 

"So how were you planning on getting inside?" Yuan inquired.

"That window on the second floor is open. We'll just fly in there." Yggdrasill replied smartly.

"Fly? Are you sure?" Yuan replied nervously, looking around to see if anyone was near. The streets were deserted.

"Yeah, ofcourse. Come on, it'll only take a minute. We go in, grab some stuff, and go out again." Yggdrasill had already extended his wings. A pair of sparkling, light pink wings, seemingly made of light. Yuan sighed heavily and made his own appear. Dark lavender, and a slightly different shape. Both men flew up with ease, and made their way through the open window. They silently landed on the floor, and looked around the room. It was filled with paintings and statues.

"Wow! Look at all this stuff! We'll be rich!" Yggdrasill gasped. The man didn't seem to know where to begin, so he turned to a vase on his left. It was set with heavy jewels. Just when he reached out to grab it, Yuan got a bad feeling in the pit of this stomach. Something was wrong here. The vase was placed too obviously, almost as though someone wanted them to take it.

"Don't touch it, you fool!" he called out, but he was too late, as Yggdrasill removed it from its pedestal. There was a strange whirring sound, and the blond haired man quickly stepped back. Yuan wasn't quick enough, however, as a net was pulled up all around him, lifting him up from the ground.

"Shit!" Yuan shouted, as he tried to find a way out of the trap. "Quick, help me down!" he hissed to Yggdrasill. But the man didn't seem to be thinking anything of the sort. In fact, he was clutching the vase to his chest, and slowly backing away. Footsteps came pounding up the stairs. "Stop fooling around, you bastard! Help me!" Yuan shouted. But Yggdrasill quickly turned and hopped out the window. "You can't do this to me, you traitor!" his partner shouted after him. Then he whipped his head around in shock as the door banged open, and an elderly man carrying a large wooden stick entered. He didn't look pleased.

* * *

Yuan was lying on top of a hard, wooden bed in a jail cell, staring blankly up at the ceiling. He'd been lying there ever since those humans tossed him in there a few hours ago. He was growing slightly hungry, and wondered if they'd forgotten about him. It was typical, that one of Yggdrasill's crazy ideas got him into trouble. Though, normally, they never got caught. And even if they did, they managed some miraculous escape. Suddenly, Yuan heard footsteps echoing off the hallway. He sat up and got ready to glare at the guard, but that glare was replaced by a look of shock, as he found Kratos Aurion staring at him from the other side of the bars. 

"Well, well. Fancy meeting you here." The auburn-haired man said slowly. Yuan didn't reply, but laid himself back down on the bed, resting his head on his arms. Kratos sighed and opened the door of the cell. He leaned against a wall and stared at the prisoner, who was determined to avoid his eyes. "When they said a half-elf broke into Koton's house, I didn't think it'd be you."

"What are you doing here?" Yuan asked wearily.

"My job. I'm the head of the Flanoir knights, and I'm supposed to deal with criminals."

Yuan snorted. "Criminals. Yeah, I suppose I am one."

"Why did you break into a man's house?" Kratos inquired. He sounded a bit angry, so Yuan decided not to beat around the bush.

"Why do you think? Money. It's not like I had another option."

"You'd resort to thievery because you're broke? Why not get a job?"

"Hah! You think a half-elf like me could get a job?" Yuan was snickering, but still staring at the ceiling.

"Well, sure. If you asked around someone might give you decent paying work." Kratos said slowly.

"That's a lie, and you know it." Yuan said coldly. "Besides, I didn't even want to rob the old geezer. It was my partner's idea."

"Your partner?"

"Yeah. The partner who left me there when I got trapped." Yuan growled.

"So where can we find this guy?" Kratos urged.

"Heh, like I'd tell you. You'd go and arrest him on the spot."

"Well, he betrayed your trust. It's only fair if you betray his." Yuan saw Kratos smirking out of the corner of his eye, and concentrated on the ceiling again.

"I won't stoop to his level."

"If you'd just answer the questions, I can help you." Kratos said, sounding a bit annoyed.

"Help me? Riiight." Yuan couldn't help but feel amused at the thought. "Well, I can't tell you where to find my partner, but feel free to ask something else. Maybe I can answer that for you."

"I can't help but wonder… How did you get inside?"

"The old goat left his window open. It's like asking to be robbed."

"You're telling me you climbed in through a second floor window?"

"… Yes." Yuan lied.

"I see." Kratos stepped away from the wall he was leaning against, and headed for the door. "I'll come check on you in a few days, and see if you're ready to talk fairly then."

"Uhuh." Yuan still had his gaze locked on the ceiling. Kratos sighed and locked the door behind him. Soon the sound of his footsteps had faded away.

* * *

((Yup, Yuan and Yggy have Cruxis crystals. And before anyone asks, the two are not lovers.)) 


	3. Yuan's Story

Tales of Symphonia, vale of misery.

((A/N: 2 reviews? Lol! When I said this story wouldn't be updated as often as Idiot Seraphim, I didn't mean it would take me weeks... Still, thanks **Katandshadow** and **HealingWind**!))

* * *

Chapter three. 

"Psst."

Yuan had been stuck in that cell for a couple of days now. Kratos had occasionally showed up to see if Yuan had changed his mind yet, but the blue-haired half-elf stubbornly kept his mouth shut.

'Well, atleast I get decent food.' Yuan thought. In fact, in some points he found this better than the rundown shack he shared with Yggdrasill. Were it not for the dirty looks he received from the guards whenever they brought him his food.

"Psst!"

Yuan sat up and looked around, tossing aside the stale bread he'd been chomping on.

"Up here!"

He looked up and saw Yggdrasill lying on his stomach, in front of a small window that was still about twelve feet high for Yuan. He quickly summoned his wings and flew up to get face to face with his partner.

"You bastard! Where have you been?" he hissed. "You just abandoned me!"

"One of us had to escape. There was no point in both of us getting busted." Yggdrasill shrugged.

"Yeah, that's a really nice excuse you got there. Just admit you're a selfish brat."

"This is getting us nowhere." Yggdrasill sighed in an annoyed way. "So how are they treating you in there?"

"With a high level of dislike. But atleast the food is slightly edible. What bothers me most is the fact that they keep springing questions on me when I least expect it."

"You didn't tell them about the crystals, did you?" Yggdrasill hissed violently.

"What do you take me for? A moron? I'm not going to voluntarily become a guinea pig."

"Good. Well, don't worry, I'll get you out somehow."

"You'd better. You got me in here in the first place. You just couldn't keep your greedy mitts off that vase, could you?"

"Heh, you know me too well. I already sold it, by the way. I got a few thousand gald for it."

"_You_? What do you mean _you_ got a few thousand gald for it? What happened to sharing the profit!"

"What good is money gonna do you when you're in prison?"

"You greedy bastard!" Yuan shouted.

"Yuan, shut up!" Yggdrasill hissed.

"No I will not! Don't think you can get away with this!" Yuan ranted on, sticking his hands through the bars to try and to grab Yggdrasill's collar. The blond man quickly hopped to his feet and fled the scene. "Yeah, you'd better run! Brat!"

"Well, this is interesting…" said a familiar voice behind Yuan.

The blue-haired man froze and slowly turned to find Kratos staring at him from the other side of the iron bars. He swiftly retuned to the ground and made his wings disappear, but it was already too late. Kratos entered the cell, to lean casually against the door. "That explains how you got inside through the window." He smirked.

An awkward silence followed, as Yuan tried to think of something to say.

"I'm in trouble, aren't I?"

"That depends on the situation." Kratos raised an eyebrow, waiting for an explanation. Yuan supposed that he had no choice but to give one. Kratos seemed like a fair guy. He'd hear him out.

* * *

Yuan sat down on the bed and sighed heavily, running his fingers through his hair. 

"I suppose it all started in Ozette." He began, and looked up at Kratos. The auburn-haired man nodded to show he was listening. "Up to ten years ago, I lived there with my girlfriend Martel and her little brother, Mithos. We rented a small house on the outskirts of the village, and paid the rent by doing all sorts of chores for the villagers. Chopping wood, or running errands… Mithos was only fifteen, but he was forced to do the work too. The human who owned our house always got very mad when one of our payments was late. Even if it was just by one day. He said his patience was running out. And every week, he could be seen in the bar with his friends, spending the money on alcohol." Yuan paused for a second, trying to think of the best way to continue. "One day, I proposed to Martel. I used up most of our money to buy the ring. So naturally, payment was late again." Yuan smiled sadly at the floor. "A few days later, when I was out running an errand… They killed her."

"The guy who owned your house, and his friends killed Martel?" Kratos asked frowning. Yuan nodded, burying his face in his hands. It took him a minute or two to recover.

"Me and Mithos left Ozette after that. We couldn't stand the place anymore. After traveling for a day, we ran into some abandoned laboratory. We thought it might be a good place to spend the night. But it was so old and smelly, we decided against that. We did, however, rummage through some stuff that had been left behind by the researchers. Amongst those things we found exspheres. Or, atleast, we thought they were just exspheres. When we put them on, however, we noticed they sharpened our senses. We could hear sounds from further away, or see things sharper… We could also control the mana in our body to form these wings. It took a lot of practice to actually fly with them, ofcourse." Yuan grimaced and leaned back on the bed, not being able to think of anything else worth mentioning.

"So that Mithos kid is your partner now?" Kratos asked.

"Yeah. But you can imagine that after ten years, he's no longer a kid. And he was never the same after Martel was killed either. Something inside him had changed. Nowadays, he wants to be called Yggdrasill. He thinks it sounds cool. I think it sounds retarded." Yuan frowned slightly. "He said there's no point in getting jobs again, and that crime pays off more. Boy, I was really messed up to believe him."

"So you don't want to rob people? It's just because Yggdrasill told you to do it?"

"Yes, mr. Therapist. What a great analysis you created." Yuan replied sarcastically. "So what now?"

"Follow me." Kratos said shortly, opening the door of the cell again.

"What?" Yuan sat up and stared at him.

"Follow." Kratos started walking through the hallway. Yuan looked around in confusion and ran after him. Was he going to be executed on the spot?

* * *

Kratos was waiting for him by the door that led outside. As Yuan approached him, he caught glimpses of the other cells. They were all empty. 

"Where are we going?" the blue-haired man inquired, as Kratos opened the door and stepped into the cold air. The sky was darkening.

"You're going to find that Yggdrasill fellow, and tell him you don't want to rob people anymore." Kratos commanded.

"Hey, are you serious?"

"Yup. And next time he tries to involve you in one of his plans, just say no."

"Why are you helping me out so much?" Yuan asked, astounded by the human's actions.

"I'm not sure myself." Kratos replied, and Yuan noticed the man's cheeks had reddened a bit. Was it just the cold, or was he blushing?

"Thanks for everything." Yuan said, and just to tease Kratos, he quickly pulled him into a hug before running off.

* * *

((And there we have it. Yuan's lifestory. Uhhh... Sort of lifestory... Kratos is being awfully compassionate, ain't he?)) 


	4. Betrayal

Tales of Symphonia, vale of misery.

((A/N: Echo! -_echo_-

Thanks to **Katandshadow** and **Off** for reviewing!))

* * *

Chapter four. 

Still a little unable to believe his luck, Yuan arrived at the hideout. He knocked twice and waited. A crashing sound could be heard inside.

"It's me." Yuan called shortly. The door opened to reveal Yggdrasill, wearing a look of surprise.

"Yuan! How did you get out of jail?"

"I got lucky, I guess." Yuan pushed Yggdrasill out of the way, and slumped down in a chair.

"Hey, that's great!" Yggdrasill disappeared in the kitchen for a second, and returned with a can of beer. He opened it with a slight hissing sound, before taking a sip. "Listen, I heard the town doctor will be counting his earnings tomorrow night, so I thought we could-"

"No."

"What?"

"I'm not going to join you in any more of your stupid plans." Yuan crossed his arms. "In fact, I'll stop robbing people completely."

"Did a few days of prison mess up your mind or something?" Yggdrasill set the can down on the table, and frowned at his friend. "What will you do for money? Get a job?" he laughed coldly.

"I'll think of something."

"Yeah right. Do you want to go back to the days when you could barely afford to pay rent, and still have enough money left for one meal a day? Look at us now! Our own place, beer.. We even have decent clothes! Are you willing to give this all up?"

"Stealing money from others is… making me feel bad." Yuan tapped his fingers on the table absentmindedly.

"_It's making you feel bad_?" Yggdrasill repeated incredously.

"It's your decision whether you want to continue stealing or not. I'm not forcing _you_ to stop. But _I_'m quitting forever."

"You weakling!"

"I'd rather be a weakling than a filthy criminal." Yuan pushed himself to his feet again. "You can keep my half of those few thousand gald. I don't want it." He headed for the door and pulled it. It remained closed.

* * *

"Hey, did you lock the- Whoah!" Yuan had just turned around, and was immediately forced to jump to the side as a knife was thrown in his direction. He wasn't fast enough, however, and felt a piercing pain in his left side, as the cold steel created a deep wound. He doubled over with a cry of agony, and pulled the knife out again. Immediately, blood started to stain his shirt red. 

"What the hell is wrong with you!" he shouted, looking up. Yggdrasill was seething, and his face reflected an emotion of utter madness. "Fuck this. I'm out of here." Yuan clumsily got to his feet again, trying to ignore his injury. He turned to the door, but it was blocked by the blonde-haired man before he got to it.

"You worm. You weak, inferior creature…" the man hissed. Yuan feared that his friend might have snapped, and backed away slightly. Yggdrasill grabbed his arm and pushed him back, into a corner.

"Let go!" Yuan shouted, trying to release himself from his partner's grip.

"I loathe you. I've loathed you since I first met you. Martel didn't see what kind of a prat you are, but I did." Yggdrasill smiled in twisted way. "I warned her that she shouldn't be with you. I warned her, but she didn't listen. So I killed her."

"W-what?" Yuan stopped struggling, and stared at the man.

"All this time, you thought it was the humans. But you were wrong. It had me quite amused."

"You… Liar!"

"Oh, you find it so hard to believe I would kill my own sister? Well, it doesn't matter. You won't be alive for so long either." Yggdrasill paused, apparently thinking about something. Yuan tried to convince himself this wasn't real. That it was all some sort of twisted nightmare. There could be no way any of this would really happen…

"You know, I think I'll have some fun with you before killing you." Yggdrasill's left hand traveled to the fastening of Yuan's cloak. It took a few seconds for the blue-haired half-elf to realize what he was doing.

"H-hey!" Yuan tried to push Yggdrasill away from him, but the man was too strong.

"Come on. I'm not so cold to deny you a last pleasure before you vanish from this world forever." The blonde was still smiling in a twisted way. Yuan saw no other option but to kick Yggdrasill in the shin. The thief's grip released slightly, and Yuan managed to shove him away. The sudden movement sent another stab of pain through his side, but he ignored it. Keeping his eyes firmly on Yggdrasill, he made a ball of energy appear in the palm of his hand and held it in front of him. He slowly sidestepped towards the door.

"Oh, are you going to try and fight me now?" Yggdrasill laughed. "You can't win. I'm stronger than you."

Yuan knew this was true. The minute he fired that energy blast, Yggdrasill would deflect it before immediately launching his own attack. He felt beads sweat rolling down his back, and his injury was still throbbing painfully. He decided to use a different battle strategy.

"I'll use any means to protect myself."

"It's futile."

"I'll let you find that if that's true, the hard way." Yuan growled, and he released the blast. But instead of aiming for his enemy, he swiftly moved his arm up a bit, and shot at the ceiling above him. Yggdrasill looked up just in time to see a girder snap in two, and bury him in rubble. Yuan didn't stick around to see if that had finished his old friend. He turned around and blasted the door off its hinges, fleeing the scene.

* * *

Yuan was running through the streets as fast as he could, clutching his side. He couldn't risk flying, in case he was seen. If he could just make it Kratos's house, he'd be safe. Kratos would know what to do. He still couldn't believe what had happened. He had known Yggdrasill for so long now. Sure, he'd gotten mad at Yuan occasionally, but never shown any sign of real hatred. Neither had he seemed capable of murder. It was like his friend had changed personalities with a psychopath. Yuan wasn't sure if the tears rolling down his face were caused by his injury, or his mixed up emotions. Finally, he rounded a corner and Kratos's house came into view. Just a little bit further. Just a little bit further and he'd be safe. Yuan shrieked in pain as he suddenly got hit in the back by a blast, and fell forward. It was like the world around him was spinning and twisting. He couldn't form a clear thought anymore, and didn't notice the man approaching him.

* * *

((Are you hating me now? I bet you are. Evil cliffhanger...)) 

((Yup, I made Yggy a shizo. That's the proper name for someone like that right? Shizo?))

((And yes, Yggy called Yuan a prat. I was running out of synonyms for weakling.))


	5. Battle

Tales of Symphonia, vale of misery.

((A/N: Hmm... two reviews again. Thank you, **Katandshadow** and **Off**! -_gives you cookies_-))

* * *

Chapter five. 

Kratos Aurion was sitting in the living room, reading a book. Or, atleast, trying to read. His mind kept wandering off. He couldn't help but wonder if Yuan had found Yggdrasill, and if he'd keep to his promise. Meanwhile, Lloyd was playing by the window with a small wooden horse, making vague clip clop sounds with his tongue.

"Blue!"

"Hm?" Kratos looked up from his book and stared at Lloyd, frowning slightly.

"Blue!" Lloyd said again, and he pointed out the window. Kratos got to his feet and peered through the glass. But what he saw didn't please him at all. Yuan was lying flat on his face in the snow, and a man with long blonde hair was slowly walking up to him. He couldn't help but notice that the snow on Yuan's right side was stained red.

"Lloyd, stay inside." He said shortly, throwing his cloak around his shoulders and grabbing his sword.

* * *

Yuan groaned miserably, and tried to get up. His body didn't seem to want to cooperate, and he only managed to roll onto his left side. He immediately received a painful kick in the gut from Yggdrasill, who laughed cruelly. Yuan gasped for breath, clutching his stomach. The man crouched down to face his 'companion', and brushed his blue hair out of his face. Yuan shivered at his touch. 

"I'll have you begging for death." Yggdrasill whispered.

"Get away from him!" shouted a voice. The human drew his sword and pointed it at Yggdrasill's chest.

"K-Kratos." Yuan whimpered.

"Do not interfere, human. This is none of your business." The blonde replied sharply.

"Anything that happens here is my business. And I can't let you assault an innocent man."

Yggdrasill got to his feet again, chuckling lightly.

"Innocent? This man is responsible for my sister's death. Not to mention the fact that he's a lowly thief."

"The only '_lowly_' person I see here, is you." Kratos growled, moving his sword a little closer to Yggdrasill's heart.

"You think it _wise_ to start a fight with me?" the blonde asked, slightly amused.

"Only if you leave me no choice."

"As you wish." Yggdrasill pushed the sword away with one swift move, and jumped back, smiling daringly. Kratos quickly regained his posture and charged towards him. But every slash and swipe was easily avoided, as Yggdrasill merely danced around. At his rate, the human would be worn out within minutes, and the fight would be determined already.

"Playtime is over." Yggdrasill said suddenly, and he moved behind Kratos at an incredible speed, immediately firing a blast just as the man turned around. He was sent flying through the air, and landed fifteen feet away. Yuan wasn't sure why, but for some reason he shouted the human's name in worry. There was no reply.

"How does it feel to be the cause of another death?" Yggdrasill asked, turning to him and grinning cruelly.

"I refuse to die by the hands of someone like you." Kratos crawled to his feet again, and picked up his sword that had landed a few feet away.

"Stubborn, aren't we? I like that."

"Let's finish this." It seemed that the human had suddenly grown a lot stronger, as he dashed towards the enemy with incredible speed. Yggdrasill tried to stop him from getting close, but the energy blasts were quickly avoided. Yuan blinked, trying to figure out what was going on. Humans weren't normally this fast. Then, the auburn-haired man suddenly jumped into the air, and landed behind Yggdrasill, from where he immediately attacked. The blonde cursed loudly, as a slash cut through his left arm. He had been just a little too slow to avoid getting hit.

"Tch. You got lucky." Yggdrasill growled, gripping the wound with his right hand. "I'll retreat for now. But you haven't seen the last of me. My revenge will cause you unimaginable hurt." And with that, the man fled. Kratos sheathed his sword, breathing heavily. It took him about ten seconds to snap out of it.

"Are you alright?" He asked, approaching Yuan.

"Does it look like I am?" the blue-haired man replied weakly. "How could you suddenly have such incredible speed?"

"It's a requirement of the knights to wear an exsphere." The human replied simply. "Let's get you inside." Kratos clumsily pulled Yuan to his feet. This was followed by a groan of pain. The auburn-haired man put Yuan's arm around his shoulder, and supported him as they made their way to the house.

* * *

'Hmm… Déjà vu…' Yuan thought groggily, as he woke up to find himself staring at the same ceiling he'd seen a few days ago. He pushed himself in a sitting position, ignoring the stabbing pain in his side. His injury had been bandaged up rather neatly. He was shocked to find Kratos, fast asleep in a chair next to the bed. Had the human been watching over him? 

"Blue!" the door had opened and Lloyd came running in, smiling widely.

"Shhh…" Yuan didn't want Kratos to wake up, but Lloyd was quite oblivious.

"Blue!" He said again, and crawled onto the foot end of the bed. Kratos stirred and opened his eyes. He looked around, slightly unfocused. It took him a few blinks before he woke up properly.

"You're awake!" he exclaimed, staring at Yuan.

"Yeah, that's usually the case when you're not asleep." The half-elf replied. Lloyd giggled smartly. "How long was I out?"

"About… twelve hours I suppose." Kratos glanced at the clock.

"I see."

"So… what happened?" Kratos asked. "That guy, was he…"

"Yggdrasill. Yeah." The half-elf suddenly stiffened, as a shiver ran down his spine. He stared blankly ahead, not meeting Kratos's eyes.

"I thought he was your friend. Why did he attack you?"

"He… got mad when I said I didn't want to continue stealing. When I wanted to leave, he threw a knife at me and pushed me into a wall." Yuan didn't want to relive the horrible moment, but maybe he'd feel better after he got it off his chest. "He said that he'd always hated me. And because of that he… he killed Martel."

"He killed his own sister?" Kratos exclaimed.

"Yes. He just wanted to make it seem like it was the humans. And every time I blamed them, he must've been laughing silently." Yuan clenched his fists and started shaking slightly. "He said he was going to kill me too, but wanted to have some fun first. He tried to… Tried to…" he choked as tears started to flood his eyes again. He quickly buried his face in his hands, as the shaking increased. He was incredibly ashamed that he'd just broken down like that, in front of Kratos, but also couldn't get himself to stop crying. Suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped themselves around him and held him tightly.

"It's okay now." Kratos whispered. Yuan felt a strange tingly sensation in the pit of his stomach, that had nothing to do with his injury. He had felt it whenever he'd been with Martel, and he'd felt it the first time he kissed the auburn-haired human. Did this mean he actually had feelings for the man?

* * *

((-_nosebleeding_- And that was chapter number five... Heheh...)) 


	6. Revenge

Tales of Symphonia, vale of misery.

((A/N: 5 reviews! That's more like it! Thanks **Katandshadow**, **Eden Raid**, **SatanicMechanic**, **Strawberries and napkins** and **HealingWind**! Cookies for you all! And... Errr.. Pepsi! Cause a lot of people dislike milk.

This chapter was one of the hardest for me to write. Though it didn't take me the longest... It's just... Well, you'll understand when you read it.))

* * *

Chapter six. 

A few days passed rather quickly for the half-elf. He realized that he enjoyed living with Kratos and his son. For some reason Yuan couldn't grasp, the human cared deeply for him. Lloyd had grown rather attached to him too.

"Blue! Hungry!" The boy came barging into Yuan's room after four days. Kratos had gone off to do his job a few hours ago.

"My name is not blue…" Yuan said wearily.

"Not blue?"

"No. It's Yuan."

"Djoo…wan?" Lloyd asked, tilting his head slightly.

"Yu-wan."

"Yawn!"

"No, it's-"

"Yawn!" Lloyd giggled.

"Ugh. Nevermind." Yuan decided not to argue anymore. "Didn't your father leave you anything to eat?"

"Still hungry." Lloyd pouted.

"Oh alright." Yuan sighed, and got out of bed with a groan. His injury would be fine, as long as he didn't make any sudden movements. He slowly made his way to the kitchen.

* * *

A little while later, Lloyd was entertaining himself with a slice of bread. Yuan decided that while he was in the kitchen anyway, he might as well make himself some tea. His back turned on the door, he filled the kettle with water. 

"Good afternoon, Yuan."

The kettle fell to the ground with a bang, as Yuan whipped around to face the person who had spoken those words. His heart skipped a beat, as he felt himself freeze in fear.

"W-what are you doing here?"

"Stupid question. I'm here to get revenge." Yggdrasill replied shortly. The man looked around. "Look at you. You're just a sex change away from being a housewife. If you wanted to quit thievery because you found a guy, you should've said so."

Yuan wasn't sure what Yggdrasill was getting at. Was he mocking him?

"As nice as this place is, you're going to have to come with me now." The blonde said, a note of command in his voice.

"What if I don't want to?"

"You'll find that that boy will soon be a head shorter." Yggdrasill's eyes flashed over to Lloyd, who was looking back and forth between the two in confusion. Yuan knew this wasn't good. This way, he was cornered. He tried to think of a way out. His first priority would be to lead Yggdrasill away from Lloyd. Hoping he could pull it off, he approached his former partner, his head lowered. The blonde grinned in triumph. When they were both in the hallway, Yuan looked up and swiftly shoved the man aside, before trying to get to the front door. His injury slowed him down, however, and a strong hand gripped him when he was just a few feet away from it. The blue-haired half-elf immediately started struggling, but suddenly a cloth covered in some strange smelling fluid was pushed into his face, covering his nose and mouth. Letting out a muffled scream, he felt himself getting dizzy. He was out cold within seconds.

* * *

Yuan awoke, and groaned as he felt an enormous headache. Wondering vaguely if he'd had too much to drink the previous night, he wanted to brush his hair out of his face. That's where he noticed something was wrong. His hands were lying above his head, and refused to move more than a few inches. When he tried to, he heard a strange rattling sound. Like a chain. His eyes snapped open as he peered around. 

'This cannot be good!'

He was chained to a bed, inside a dark, gloomy room. The walls were dull grey bricks, and he could just make out the concrete floor. He tried shouting for help, but his voice simply bounced off the walls, and back at him.

'Not good at all.'

Suddenly, the door opened. Yggdrasill entered with a wide smirk on his face.

"Heh. This is a nice sight."

"You bastard! Let me go!"

"Or else?" Yggdrasill taunted. Yuan glared at him. "You're completely defenseless. Especially without this." The blonde held up a shining red crystal.

"My exsphere!"

"I'll be taking this. I'm sure there's someone who's willing to pay me a lot of money for it." Yggdrasill grinned.

"Son of a-"

"Mind your tongue!" the blonde snapped, before regaining his grin. "Anyway, I'll have some fun with you first, before going off to get my revenge on your friend."

"N-no!"

"Don't worry. This will only hurt a lot." Yggdrasill hissed, as he approached his prey.

* * *

"Yuan! Yuan, wake up!" 

He heard a voice calling him. It sounded so distant.

"Come on Yuan, wake up!"

The voice sounded worried. Why? Suddenly, he felt a hand touching his face. Not a cold, forceful hand, but warm, and tender. Groaning, Yuan managed to slowly open his eyes. He could see the blurry outline of a man with auburn hair.

"Thank god." The man sighed.

"Kratos?" Yuan asked. His voice was incredibly hoarse. He squinted, to try and focus his vision.

"Your injury looks horrible. You lost a lot of blood." Kratos was bending over him, and staring at his right side.

"I told him to stop. I screamed and pleaded, but he wouldn't listen." Yuan replied softly.

"Dammit." Kratos turned and looked around. "Where are those damn keys?"

"By the door."

"Oh." The human disappeared from Yuan's view for a few seconds, and returned with a bunch of keys in his hands. He quickly shoved them in the lock of Yuan's shackles. The half-elf moved his hands in front of his face, and stared at the places where the metal had cut into his wrists. Kratos ripped the blanket apart, and wrapped a piece of the cloth around Yuan's wound. He then gathered the half-elf's clothes, that were lying in a corner. It was quite a hassle to get Yuan dressed, and the blood immediately started soaking through the make-shift bandages, and into the blue-haired man's shirt.

"Let's get you out of here." Kratos pulled the half-elf to his feet, and supported him as they made their way to the door. "Do you know where Yggdrasill went?"

"Said he had some business to take care of." Yuan replied weakly.

"I see."

"How did you know where to find me?"

"Lloyd told me a friend of yours came by to pick you up, and that you seemed angry. It wasn't hard to work out what that meant."

"… Thank you."

* * *

((_The author has currently gone into hiding. Please leave a review after the beep_. ... -_Beeeep!_-)) 


	7. Vengeful Flames

Tales of Symphonia, vale of misery.

((Oh my god! 7 reviewers! Thank you all sooo much! I see that most people are starting to hate Yggy with a fiery passion (except for **Satanic Mechanic**) Now I feel guilty I'm about to make you all hate Yggy even more...

Oh right, a little note I felt I had to leave, after one of my friends misread a certain bit of the after rape scene. Yuan is bleeding because of the wound in his side! He wasn't supposed to make sudden movements, remember? He's not bleeding... err... elsewhere... (Darn you, **Ruud**!)

Okay, so... This chapter was pretty hard for me to write. Again.))

* * *

Chapter seven. 

Yuan was starting to feel weaker and weaker as they made their way through the city of Flanoir. He knew that if he thought about it too much, his legs would certainly give way. Instead, he tried to focus on the presence of Kratos. The human was supporting him and had his arm wrapped tightly around Yuan's waist.

"Is that smoke?" he asked suddenly. Yuan snapped out of his thoughts and peered into the sky. Even though his vision was blurred, he could make out a dark grey cloud looming ahead of them.

"It's coming from the direction of my house." Kratos continued, his voice shaking slightly. The two tried to speed up a little. As they got closer, Yuan could smell the ashes that were carried towards them on the wind. He could practically hear the crackling flames. Then, they rounded a corner and stopped in their tracks. It wasn't just coming from the direction of Kratos's house. It _was _Kratos's house. The flames were reaching high into the air, and a group of villagers was grouped around it, trying desperately to stop them from spreading. Luckily, Kratos lived a bit outside the village. The human let Yuan lean against the wall, before releasing him.

"Wait here." he said shortly, before running off. Yuan slid down the wall and sat on the ground, trying to process what was happening here.

* * *

"Sir Aurion, where have you been?" called Flanoir's mayor, as Kratos pushed his way through the crowd. "We've been trying to put out this fire for over an hour now." 

"It doesn't matter." Kratos barked, looking around wildly. "Where's Lloyd? Did anybody get Lloyd?"

"I'm afraid that by the time we realized what was going on, the flames had already blocked the door, and consumed half the house." The mayor looked away.

"Then… No!" Kratos tried to fight his way through the crowd again, trying desperately to get to his home. A few of the villagers quickly grabbed him and held him back. "Let go of me! I have to find Lloyd! He might still be alive!"

"Even if he managed to escape the flames, surely he would've already suffocated due to the smoke." The mayor reasoned. "I'm so sorry."

* * *

Yuan was still leaning against the wall, trying desperately to stay awake. His injury wouldn't stop bleeding, and he started to feel lightheaded. Kratos had been gone for quite some time now. There was no question in his mind as to who would've done this. Yggdrasill obviously didn't waste any time in getting his revenge. Suddenly, a few blurs approached Yuan. He squinted to try and make out their faces, but it was no good. 

"Up you go." One of them said, as they grabbed Yuan's arms and pulled him to his feet. The voice didn't sound angry, but it didn't sound all that friendly either. The half-elf panicked slightly.

"I was told to wait here." He said hoarsely, but he was ignored. The blurs were already leading him away. "K-Kratos!" he called desperately.

"I'm here, Yuan." Said a voice behind him. Yuan sighed a breath of relief, recognizing it as the human's voice.

"What's happening? W-where are we going?"

"Don't worry. Everything will be okay." Kratos replied, and Yuan noticed that his voice was quivering.

'It's not going to be okay, is it?' the half-elf thought.

* * *

Yuan felt like he was waking up after being hit by a train. He had no idea where he was, or what day it was. He tried to move his limbs, but they felt like lead. He groaned inwardly. After a minute, he managed to open his eyes properly. He was in a cozy looking bedroom, with two separate beds. Light was falling in through the window. How long had he been sleeping? He managed to sit up with some effort. His eyesight still hadn't fully returned, but he could easily make out Kratos, sitting on the windowsill and staring blankly outside. For a few minutes, he just watched the human. But after a while, he found his voice again. 

"Kratos?"

The human jumped slightly, and quickly moved the back of his hand across his face, as though wiping something away. Then he turned to Yuan.

"Yeah?"

"What happened?" Yuan asked, dreading the answer.

"The innkeeper let us stay here until you've healed."

"What about your house? Did it…"

"It was burned to the ground. There was nothing left." Kratos looked away. Yuan felt his stomach sink, and looked away too.

"I'm so sorry." He said. "If it wasn't for me, Yggdrasill would've never come after you. Then none of this would've happened. As soon as I get better, I'll disappear from your life forever."

"No." Kratos said immediately. "If you go… I'll have nothing left."

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Yuan asked, slightly taken aback.

"We're going to travel together."

"W-what?"

"We're going to travel. Just you and me. This place holds too many memories for me. You're going to show me that laboratory where you got that special exsphere. I need one, if I want to get my revenge. And you'll need a new one too." Kratos said simply. Yuan got the faint feeling Kratos had been planning this for a while now. The half-elf was also painfully reminded of the fact that Yggdrasill had stolen his exsphere.

"I… uh… Sure." Yuan nodded.

"And maybe… We'll find a place where people don't discriminate against half-elves." Kratos continued.

"Okay, now you're just dreaming."

"You never know until you try." Kratos shrugged. A slight silence followed.

"Kratos, come here."

"What?"

"Come here." Yuan patted the bed, indicating the human should sit there. Kratos did as he was asked, and stared at Yuan with a questioning look.

"You've been crying, haven't you?" Yuan asked, peering into his dark brown eyes. Kratos didn't respond, but kept his gaze firmly on the blue-haired half-elf. "Why would you hide that from me? I'm here for you." The words had left Yuan's mouth before he realized what they meant, but he knew they were true. Suddenly, Kratos leaned forward and gently kissed him on the lips. For a second, Yuan was caught in surprise. But then he felt the familiar tingling sensation in his stomach once again, and knew that this was right. He leaned in and felt that Kratos was brushing through his hair, just like the time when they first kissed. Maybe, together, they could escape misery.

* * *

((-_sniff_- I'm so sorry! I'm a pretty big opposer of character deaths, but... Lloyd had to go! I'm sorry! -_weep_-)) 

((Oh, and yes, the story will continue. Heck, this is just the beginning. You wouldn't believe the stuff I have in store for the guys. **Katandshadow** has a vague idea though.))


	8. Cruxis

Tales of Symphonia, vale of misery.

((A/N: Wow, 7 reviews again! Thanks to **Eden Raid**, **Satanic Mechanic**, **Ana Paula92**, **HealingWind**, **Katandshadow**, **Nife** and **Strawberries and napkins**

This chapter is... one of the freakiest things I have ever written, really. It's a bit morbid.))

* * *

Chapter eight. 

A week later, Yuan had healed for the most part. Not wanting to be a burden any longer, he suggested that they'd leave the inn to start traveling already. The citizens of Flanoir understood that Kratos couldn't stay there any longer. What they couldn't grasp is why he left with the half-elf that had broken into old man Koton's house. But they didn't know what had happened between the two. After traveling for a few days, they managed to get a ride on a boat headed West, and arrived near Ozette. Yuan avoided the village by taking a huge detour. But Kratos didn't mind. Even though Yuan felt a bit safer with the human near him, he still had trouble getting to sleep. Most of the time, he feigned it, hoping Kratos wouldn't notice. Other times, he woke up with a start. Breathing heavily, and drenched in sweat. Even though his physical wounds were healed for the most part, his soul was not.

* * *

"Are you sure you know where you're going?" Kratos asked, as the two made their way through a forest North of Ozette. 

"Yes. It was near this creek…" Yuan mumbled, trudging along a small river.

"I feel like we've been going in circles all day now…" Kratos sighed.

"We can't be. We've been going North the entire time."

"I hope it hasn't been destroyed. Ten years is a long time."

"It was pretty well hidden. Besides, _you're_ the one who wanted to come here." Yuan grumbled. Suddenly, he saw the faint outline of a building between the trees. "Over there." He made his way to the remains of a once proud laboratory. The grey stones were completely covered in moss and other plants. It seemed like time hadn't destroyed it though.

"What a dump." Yuan muttered. The door made a nasty creaking sound when he pulled it open. They made their way through a long hallway and ended up in a dark room. There wasn't much sunlight coming through the few windows. Yuan pushed a button the wall, and the lights flickered on to reveal a messy office.

"Where does place get its power from?" Kratos wondered aloud. "And what is that horrible smell?" he wrinkled his nose at a distinct, putrid scent.

"Not a clue. It was already like this last time." Yuan shrugged. "But I think the smell has increased slightly."

"Better get this over with quickly. Where did you find the exspheres?"

"In there." Yuan pointed vaguely to a file cabinet, and wandered off to see if there was anything else worth while. Kratos approached the cabinet and pulled open the first drawer. There were only three files in it. He took one and opened it. It contained a bright crystal, and a few documents. Kratos placed the crystal on a desk and flipped through the papers. The upper right corner was marked with a logo. It read 'Cruxis'. The files contained a list of names, and some technical data Kratos couldn't quite understand. There was a stamp with a green curl on the bottom. Kratos frowned and opened another drawer. This one contained dozens of files. He opened one. The crystal inside it was strange and foggy. As though there was murky air flowing through it. The list of names from this file was marked with a large red cross.

"Hey, what do you suppose this means?" Kratos asked, holding up both lists.

"Huh?" Yuan squinted.

"There are lists of names in all the files…" Kratos put them down on the desk.

"Oh, so _that's_ what it is!"

"You didn't see it before?"

"… What makes you think I know how to read?"

"Oh! Errr… I'm sorry." Kratos turned red and continued to rummage through the cabinet. Apart from the three in the upper drawer, all the other crystals were murky, and marked with a red cross. Meanwhile, Yuan had wandered over to a door.

"Hey, since you're so smart… How do you open this thing?" he asked, tugging the handle. Kratos approached it and looked at a sign hanging on the wall.

"Push the handle and turn it three hundred and sixty degrees clockwise." He read.

"… Uhm…" Yuan had no clue what that meant. Was that the sort of stuff they thought you in school?

"I'll do it." Kratos grabbed the handle firmly, and turned it to the right. It soon made a clicking sound. Yuan grinned. Last time, he'd wondered what was behind that door, and now he'd find out. After it had been opened, however, he wished it had remained a secret. It led to what was obviously the experiments section. Large test tubes that reached to the ceiling lined the hall. Most of them were broken, and Yuan could see bodies inside them. Even more corpses lay scattered across the floor. By the looks of it, they'd been there for over ten years. After the door had been opened, the smell had increased by tenfold. Yuan felt his stomach lurch, and quickly ran to the opposite corner of the office to re-greet his breakfast.

"What is this place?" He heard Kratos mutter, before the door was slammed shut again. The human turned to the desk and opened a laptop that was lying on top of it. As the human pushed the 'on' button, he found out it was still functional.

"Enter password." It read. Kratos thought for a second, and entered the word 'Cruxis'.

"Password denied." Flickered across the screen. He tried again. This time he entered the word 'Angelus'. Something he'd read in the files.

"Password accepted." The computer read, before a digital journal popped up.

"Handy…" Kratos muttered, smiling slightly.

* * *

After ten minutes, Yuan was still feeling sick, but decided to go see what Kratos was up too. This place was bad news, and he wanted to leave as soon as possible. Ignoring the smell that was still lingering, he walked up to the auburn-haired human and tapped his feet impatiently. 

"This journal is really interesting." Kratos said, looking up from the computer screen. "Apparently, this laboratory was used by a group of half-elves, calling themselves Cruxis. They experimented with exspheres, to try and make them stronger. They kidnapped humans from Ozette to use as test subjects… In the end, they were able to make five special crystals, before they were found. It would seem that the villagers are responsible for this… massacre."

"Hm… That's _real_ interesting." Yuan replied sarcastically. "Can we go now?"

"Very well." Kratos got to his feet and closed the laptop again. He leaned forward to take the crystal that was still lying on the desk, and held it out to Yuan.

"You expect me to use it? Are you kidding? There's no way I'll wear one of these anymore." The half-elf said dismissively. The thought that so many people died for one of those crystals disgusted him.

"That was all in the past. You need to focus on the present. The cold hard truth is that without one of these, you'll die. Besides, it's better to not let those lives have gone to waste." Kratos took Yuan's hand and placed the crystal on it. Yuan considered it for a moment. Was it really okay to put his life in danger, just because he was disgusted? He sighed and closed his hand, his fingers enveloped around the exsphere. Kratos smiled at him and turned to the file cabinet. He opened the top drawer and pulled out one of the two files. Obviously the human wasn't going to let the past stop him either, as he removed his old exsphere and replaced it with the crystal.

"So… What now?" Yuan asked.

"It would be best to destroy this place, to make sure nobody tries to rebuild it again." Kratos replied, glancing around. "And then… these lingering souls might find rest at last."

An hour later, the two were walking away from the laboratory, that was set ablaze. All the evidence of Cruxis was destroyed, along with the failed crystals, and the last one that succeeded. Little did they know, that they truly had set lingering souls free.

* * *

((Okay, real freaky, no? But I felt a need to explain about the Cruxis crystals, since Cruxis (the one that Mithos created) obviously doesn't exist in this A-U.)) 

((Oh, in case you were wondering, the research was led by a half-elf called Rodyle. (**cameo**!) I planned to put that in the chapter, but couldn't really fit it anywhere. So I thought I'd mention it now. There will be plenty of other character cameos later on.))


	9. A Safe Haven

Tales of Symphonia, vale of misery.

((A/N: Arigatou to **Strawberries and napkins**, **Katandshadow** and **HealingWind**! You guys are the best! Also, to **Mandi Minamoto**; Yes, Yuan does do a lot of blacking out and waking up all confused like. Sadly, this wasn't the last time. I can assure atleast two more times when Yuan blacks out. But for a perfectly good reason I'm not going to spoil!

And now, the long awaited implied lemon chapter! If you don't like lemons (aka, two guys getting awfully close) then don't take it out on the reviews, m'kay? Gewd! Enjoy!))

* * *

Chapter nine. 

The two men left behind Ozette, and continued their journey. It seemed to be in vain though. Every city they visited wasn't friendly to half-elves. However, they weren't about to give up. Yuan found that he really enjoyed traveling with the human. He kept learning more and more about him. Like the fact that Kratos simply refused to eat tomatoes. Those kind of little details amused Yuan. Still, even though the two were opening up together, their relationship remained frozen. Yuan couldn't tell how Kratos felt about him. Heck, he couldn't even tell what kind of feelings he had for Kratos. He was afraid to find out, and didn't want to make the first step. Half a year passed like that.

* * *

Yuan was sitting on a cliff overlooking the sea, his feet dangling freely over the edge. They were far North of a city called Meltokio. And once again, were faced with the cold-hard truth. Humans couldn't help but shoot Yuan suspicious looks. Other half-elves gave him the advice to keep traveling, or just give up. Sighing, he stared at the endless water. The late afternoon sun was glittering playfully across the surface. He wondered if there were any continents left they hadn't already visited, and just how big the world was anyway. His ears perked slightly as he heard footsteps behind him. 

"So this is where you were." Kratos said, sitting down next to him.

"Oh, you were looking for me?" Yuan grinned slightly, and laid down in the grass, resting his head on his arms.

"Lost in thoughts, as usual?"

"Hm…" Yuan closed his eyes. "Don't you think this journey is a bit pointless?" he asked. "We will probably never find a place where half-elves are accepted."

"Sometimes it's not about the destination, but the journey itself." Kratos replied.

Yuan thought about this. Sure, the journey was pleasant enough. But this way, they'd eventually end up with nothing.

"Hey, what's that?" Kratos asked suddenly.

"What?" Yuan sat up and noticed the human was squinting at something in the distance.

"Over there."

Yuan followed his gaze, all across the ocean. First, he didn't see anything. But as he squinted, he could suddenly make out a grey dot floating in the distant sky.

"It looks like… some sort of island…" Yuan couldn't believe what he was seeing. If Kratos didn't see it too, he would have sworn it was an hallucination. And then his curiosity got the better of him. "Let's go there!" he said, getting to his feet.

"W-what?"

"You remember the basic flying lessons I gave you, right? Let's check it out." Yuan extended his usual lavender wings, and hopped into the air. He flew forward a few feet, and turned back expectantly. Kratos sighed helplessly and scrambled to his feet too, making his own wings appear. They were a light blue colour. Yuan thought it suited him quite well. The human clumsily got off the ground, and managed to fly a few feet with the aid of some sort of doggypaddle. Yuan couldn't help but laugh.

"Keep in mind that you have to feel as light as a feather." He commented.

"It's harder than it looks." Kratos grunted.

"Yeah, I'm sure it's hard with those large feet of yours. They drag you down." Yuan sniggered at the expression on Kratos's face. "Come on! I'll race you." He swiftly turned and headed for the strange island.

"H-hey!" Kratos tried to speed after him, but was no match for Yuan's skill.

* * *

When they finally arrived, the sun had already started to set. Yuan was astounded to find out that it was not just one island, but a group of smaller ones, linked with each other. Most of them were inhabited by small houses, but some of the islands were empty. As they landed, he felt a strange sense of familiar-ness. As if he had a bond with the people around him. Which could only mean one thing. 

"Half-elves." He muttered.

"All of them?" Kratos gasped.

"Some of them might be elves… But the majority is definitely half-elf." Yuan noticed that the inhabitants were staring at them suspiciously. "Let's have a look around." He said, walking forward. As they made their way through the streets, Yuan noticed that a lot of the houses were destroyed. It didn't seem like anyone felt the need to rebuild them. Meanwhile, the half-elves were still glancing at them, or hurrying into their homes. Was it because Kratos was with him? Suddenly, a man stepped towards them. He carried a staff with him, which meant he was the village elder.

"What brings you outsiders to this village of Exire?" he asked.

"Exire?" Yuan repeated.

"Exire is a safe haven for all with elven blood. Here, we are free from the humans, and can live the rest of our lives in peace."

"Really? Wow, that's great!" Yuan exclaimed, smiling. Maybe their journey wasn't without a destination after all.

"But I'm afraid I can't permit you to stay." The elder continued, making sure Yuan's happiness disappeared as quickly as it came.

"W-why not?" he stuttered.

"Your friend is human. As you can see, many of us still hold grudges against them." The elder sighed. "It's hypocritical, I know. But it's for the good of my people."

"But…" Yuan began, but Kratos held him back.

"Then, can you permit us to stay for a few days? We've been traveling for a long time now." The auburn-haired man said.

"Very well." The elder gave a curt nod. "There are many empty houses here. I'm sure one of them is still inhabitable." And with that, he left.

* * *

After a small walk, they finally found an empty house that seemed suitable to spend a few nights in. It consisted of a two-person bedroom, a small kitchen and a bathroom. Yuan quickly dumped his things in a corner and allowed himself to fall onto the bed. 

"Finally, a real bed again." He sighed contently. Kratos sat down next to him, and stared blankly at the floor. Yuan noticed he had some sort of depressing aura around him.

"You're not thinking about what that elder said, right? Seriously, if he'd get to know you better, he'd know you're no threat to anyone."

"No, it's not that. It's just…" Kratos sighed heavily. "Never mind."

"You know you can tell me anything." Yuan sat up and stared at Kratos. The human didn't return his gaze, but kept his eyes locked firmly on the ground.

"Today would've been… Lloyd's second birthday."

Yuan felt his stomach drop swiftly. He was suddenly reminded of himself after Martel had died. It had taken him several years to get over it too. But when the wounds were still fresh, it was the hardest time of his life.

"I wanted to buy him a pet, so he wouldn't be lonely when I was at work…" Kratos's voice suddenly cracked.

Yuan wasn't quite sure what to say, so he just decided to try and comfort the human by putting his arm around his shoulder. Kratos made a strange sound from the back of his throat and keeled over sideways, before burying his face in Yuan's lap. The half-elf immediately felt his face grow bright red, as his heart started pumping faster. A lot of thoughts shot into his head. One more daring than the other. He quickly banished them all into a far away corner of his mind.

"Don't leave." Kratos started shaking slightly. "Please, don't ever leave."

Yuan couldn't quite believe what he was hearing. What had suddenly gotten into his friend? He gently grabbed Kratos by the shoulders and pushed him upright again. Staring deeply into the human's tear-filled eyes, he knew what he had to do. Moving forward, he kissed Kratos on the lips. The auburn-haired man froze with shock for a second, but then he leaned in, wrapping his arms around Yuan's waist. He once again felt the strange feeling in his stomach, and recognized it for what it was. He truly did love the human. Shifting his weight, he pushed Kratos onto his back and pinned him to the bed. Yuan felt that his heart was racing at an insane speed, but he ignored it. Running his fingers through the soft, auburn hair, he moved down to kiss Kratos's neck.

"Y-Yuan." Kratos moaned. Yuan looked up again to see ruby red eyes filled with surprise. After a quick blink, however, that was replaced by something unreadable.

"Shhh…" the half-elf silenced him, before continuing with what he was doing. It became a night the two would remember forever.

* * *

((... Aaand there you have it. Ze implied lemon. I suck, I know.)) 

((Oh, did you notice I gave all the chapters names now? I just... felt like it.))


	10. Virginia

Tales of Symphonia, vale of misery.

((A/N: Oooh, 6 reviews! Thanks to **Strawberries and napkins**, **Katandshadow**, **Ren**, **Silver Latias** and **Off**! Also, to **Satanic Mechanic**; Yes, Yuan was on top! -_evil grin_-))

* * *

Chapter ten. 

When Yuan awoke the next morning, he felt some strange weight pressing against his right side. Slowly opening his eyes, he saw Kratos sprawled out on top of him. The human's head was resting peacefully on his chest. He seemed fast asleep. Yuan smiled faintly, before the full force of it hit him. He'd slept with Kratos! He'd slept with the man he'd been traveling with for almost six months now. The man who had rescued him many times. He suddenly felt a bit guilty. But Martel was dead for over ten years now. People didn't become hermits when their fiancées died, right? Sighing, he ran his fingers through Kratos's hair. The human stirred and slowly opened his eyes.

"Good morning." Yuan smirked. Kratos's breath seemed to be stuck in his throat for a second, as he quickly sat up. "Are you okay?" Yuan asked, watching Kratos go a bit pale.

"I'm fine." He replied shortly, before stepping out of bed and gathering his clothes, that were scattered across the room.

"Where are you going?" Yuan asked, watching him get dressed in hurry.

"For a walk." Kratos grabbed his cloak and headed out the door. A few seconds later, Yuan heard the front door open and close with a snap.

'What's with him?' he thought, frowning slightly.

* * *

After half an hour, Yuan decided to get up too. Kratos still hadn't returned. Yawning widely, he got dressed and headed out the door. He wanted to find his friend, and apologize. Just as he closed his door, a woman exited their neighboring house. She had long, white hair and a gentle face. She wasn't a half-elf though. She appeared to be a full-blood elf. 

"Good afternoon." She said brightly, noticing Yuan.

"It's afternoon already?" Yuan exclaimed. "Man, I really overslept."

"After all the racket you and your friend made last night, I'm not surprised." The woman smiled faintly, and Yuan turned bright red.

"Oh… You heard that?"

"The walls here are not that thick." The woman shrugged, and Yuan felt like sinking through the ground with shame.

"I'm so sorry!" he stuttered.

"That's alright." The woman smiled at him. "My name is Virginia, by the way." She said, holding out her hand. Yuan shook it.

"I'm Yuan. And my… friend is Kratos."

"It's always nice to have new neighbors." Virginia sighed.

"I'm afraid we won't be staying for long. The elder only permit us to stay for a couple of days, because Kratos is human."

"A human and a half-elf…" Virginia concluded.

"You think we're weird, don't you?" Yuan asked.

"No, ofcourse not. My husband was human too. He even blessed me with a wonderful daughter." Virginia smiled again. Yuan was starting to like this woman. "So where are you going to go next?" she asked.

"We're looking for a place where half-elves and humans can live together in harmony. This place might've been our last hope."

"Is that so?" Virginia chuckled. "You know what? Why don't you and your friend come by for a cup of tea later? I have a story that might interest you."

"Oh?" Yuan wondered vaguely what that could be. "Okay, we'll do that."

"See you later." Virginia nodded at him, and left.

* * *

After a small walk, Yuan found Kratos sitting on a bench on one of the deserted islands. Gulping nervously, he approached him. 

"Kratos?"

The human said nothing. Yuan sighed and sat down next to him.

"I'm sorry, okay?" the half-elf continued. "If I made you do something you didn't want to do, I apologize."

A long silence followed. Finally, Kratos decided to speak.

"Don't you think we're wrong?" he asked, staring blankly ahead.

"Wrong?"

"We're both men, we're not the same race… And we both planned to spend our lives with a woman. Hell, I'd even started a family." Kratos sighed.

"It's not uncommon for the destination to change halfway through the journey." Yuan said, trying to place his words delicately. "Besides, isn't it better to comfort each other than to both suffer in silence?"

"I suppose." Kratos blinked.

"Do you regret what we've done?"

"I don't know. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to feel guilty."

"Then let me ask you this. Did you enjoy it?" Yuan asked. He could've sworn he saw a blush appear on the human's cheeks, who nodded in response. "And did it make you feel better?"

"Yes."

"Then there's no need to feel guilty. I decided a long time ago to stop living my life in the past, and focus on the future. You should do the same."

"Thank you." Kratos muttered.

"Come on. Apparently our neighbor has an interesting story for us." Yuan got to his feet and smiled at Kratos, who smiled back.

* * *

A little while later, the two found themselves sitting at Virginia's kitchen table. 

"I heard the two of you are looking for a place where half-elves are accepted." She said, placing a pot of tea on the table.

"That's correct." Kratos nodded.

"I know just where you're supposed to go." Virginia sat down too, and smiled at them both.

"You do?" Yuan asked, his eyes widening.

"I told you about my husband being human, and blessing me with a girl, did I not?" she asked, pouring everyone a cup of tea. Yuan nodded.

"Because of this, I was driven away from my home in Heimdall. I did not care, as long as I still had my family. But as we traveled, people starting coming after us. They did not approve of a human and an elf together, and thought of my daughter as filth. Soon, my husband was killed. Knowing my daughter had no future like this, I sought for a way to save her. And I found it." Virginia smiled sadly. Yuan exchanged a glance with Kratos. "I heard of a legendary world called Sylvarant."

"Isn't Sylvarant just a myth?" Kratos asked.

"Oh no, it's very real. A peaceful world, where half-elves are equals. That's what the legends say. I found a way to get there."

"Then why-" Yuan began, but Virginia held up her hand to silence him.

"When the moon is full, a portal to Sylvarant would appear at an old ruin. The Otherworldly gate, is what they called it. I found it, and left my daughter there."

"You left her there?" Yuan exclaimed.

"I could not go with her. I prayed that she would be taken in by a loving family who could take better care of her than I could."

"This Otherworldly gate… Where is it?" Kratos asked.

"On an island east of Altamira." Virginia replied, dropping a lump of sugar in her tea. "Judging by its movements, Exire should pass over it in a few days time."

"That's wonderful!" Yuan smiled excitedly.

"Your daughter, what is her name?" Kratos asked.

"Raine."

* * *

((Hooray for character cameos! I did consider making Virginia a bit crazy, but decided against it in the end. Also, Genis was never born! Because I... just don't like him.)) 

((Heh, the hints were pretty strong in this chapter, weren't they? Heeheeheeh. The walls are not that thick! Heeheeheeh! -_gets whacked_- Argh! I mean... Finally, their relationship is getting somewhere...))


	11. The Otherworldly Gate

Tales of Symphonia, vale of misery.

((A/N: 4 reviews this time. Ohwells. Thanks to **HealingWind**, **Katandshadow** and **Kratos fanatic**! Also, to **Silver Latias;** it wasn't really second thoughts as much as it was... wondering wether they did the right thing. Wait, that's basically the same thing. Well, anyway, they'll 'work it out' more this chapter. Neheheheheh...))

* * *

Chapter eleven. 

And so the two waited for Exire to pass by the Otherworldly gate. Yuan was scared of being intimate with Kratos again, and refrained from doing so. He could tell the human was grateful for that, and needed some time to think. But as they were forced to share the same bed, this made things a bit awkward. Yuan wondered how he'd managed to fall asleep at all, without trying to put his arm around the man laying next to him.

A few days later, he was standing on one of the deserted islands with Kratos and Virginia.

"It should be near here…" Virginia muttered, glancing around at the endless sea.

"I think I see something over there." Yuan said, pointing ahead to a small structure at the horizon.

"Where?" Virginia, just a normal elf, could not see it. But Yuan and Kratos's eye sights had been enhanced by the special exspheres.

"It looks like an island, with large rocks on it." Kratos squinted.

"Yes, that's it." Virginia nodded.

"Then, I guess this is goodbye." Yuan turned to the elf and smiled.

"Thank you for everything." Kratos said to her.

"You're welcome." Virginia smiled gently. "I wish you two good luck on your journey. And… Should you ever encounter my daughter… Tell her her foolish mother is sorry."

"We will. I promise." Kratos nodded.

"Farewell." And with that, the two extended their wings, and flew off in the direction of the Otherworldly gate.

* * *

As they landed, Yuan couldn't help but feel a shiver run along his spine. 

"This place gives me the creeps." He mumbled, staring at the stones that were scattered across the island, marked with strange symbols. Three larger stones were placed in the centre, like a triangle. "Wait, wasn't there supposed to be a full moon for the portal to open?"

"I checked last night. Today should be last day of a full moon." Kratos said, glancing at the sky.

"So that means that if we miss this chance…" Yuan began.

"We'll have to wait another month."

"It looks like it'll be a few hours before the sun will start to set." Yuan sighed, sitting down.

"Then we'll just have to find a way to entertain ourselves." Kratos muttered.

* * *

The two managed to make the time fly by, but recalling fairy tales they'd been told when they were little. It seemed there was a very large difference between what half-elves told their children, and what humans told. 

"I can't believe you've never heard of the legend of Spiritua." Kratos said incredously, as they two were laying in the grass, looking up at the stars.

"You'd think I'd remember a legend about a girl becoming an angel to save the world." Yuan replied, frowning. "I can't believe _you_'ve never heard of the giant Kharlan tree."

"Well, a tree being the source of all mana in the world… It sounds like something hippies would tell their children." Kratos sniggered.

"Hey, don't mock my ancestors! The Kharlan tree was a very important legend to them. And it still is now." Yuan frowned.

"I'm sorry." The human chuckled lightly in response. "So do you ancestors have a legend about the stars too?"

"They do, actually." Yuan smiled faintly. "They say that when people die, their souls become stars, who look down on us and guide us."

"I see… So one of those stars would be Lloyd? And another would be Anna?"

"Yes. And one of them would be Martel." Yuan stared at the millions and millions of stars above them. He'd wondered many times if Martel was among them.

"It's a nice thought." Kratos muttered. "But who are we supposed to look down on? There's nobody left for us here."

"Maybe, if we don't get separated too much, we can keep an eye on each other." Yuan chuckled.

"I'd like that." the human admitted. Yuan sighed and looked up at the stars. If the legend of Sylvarant was true, the portal would open soon. They'd arrive at a new world. A new beginning. He figured now would be the best time to tell Kratos how he felt. Gulping nervously, he felt his heart starting to beat faster in anticipation.

"You know…" he began. "I wanted to tell you something important before we find out if the legend of Sylvarant is true. You don't have to respond if you don't want to."

The human gave a slight "Hm." to show he was listening. Yuan took a deep breath.

"The thing is that I… I love you. I loved you ever since we first met. I only confirmed it a few days ago. And…" Yuan paused, trying to think of a way to continue. "I don't care if you are a man, and that you're human. I love you because you're… you."

Yuan felt like a huge burden had been lifted off his chest. But he couldn't help but feel anxious. A long silence followed, as Kratos didn't respond.

'Oh no! I messed up! He hates me!' Yuan thought desperately. Just then, the human rolled over, and bent over him. He placed his hand on Yuan's cheek and moved down, until their faces were just inches apart. Gulping, Yuan stared into his deep ruby eyes.

"I love you too. I don't care if the stars _are_ looking down on us. They'd better just be happy for us."

Not being able to restrain himself any longer, the half-elf pulled Kratos down until their lips met. He let out a muffled groan, as the human's tongue explored his mouth. It felt like every fiber of his body was filled with happiness. Closing his eyes in pleasure, he wished the moment would last forever. Sadly, it didn't, as Kratos suddenly broke off.

"The portal!" he gasped.

"Hm?" Yuan opened his eyes again, feeling a bit irritated.

"It's opened!" Kratos rolled off him, and got to his feet. Yuan sat up and looked back to see a strange dark circle shining menacingly on the ground between the three large stones. It looked like a black hole, that could swallow anything it encountered.

"Come on!" Kratos grabbed Yuan's arm and pulled him to his feet, before dragging him towards the portal. The half-elf tried to match his speed, being careful not to trip. Just as the portal was starting to grow smaller, they stepped onto it. Yuan quickly covered his eyes, as a flash of light blinded him. It was the strangest feeling, as his body started tingling immensely. It was as though he was spinning around incredibly fast, but without the actual spinning. Not sure if he was still holding Kratos's hand, he squeezed it in anticipation. Feeling the human squeeze back calmed him down a little. Whatever Sylvarant had in store for them, they were going to face it together.

* * *

((Awwwww! Come on now, all together! Awwwww!)) 

((When Kratos said they'd have to find a way to entertain themselves, you were thinking dirty, weren't you? Heheh!))


	12. A New World

Tales of Symphonia, vale of misery.

((A/N: Thanks to **Silver Latias**, **Nife**, **HealingWind**, **Katandshadow** and **Off**!))

* * *

Chapter twelve. 

Suddenly, Yuan felt like his feet hit the ground, even though he was already standing. Losing his balance, he fell over, dragging Kratos down with him. He landed on his hands and knees, and stared blankly at the ground, trying to catch his breath. The first thing that struck him as odd was the sunlight that showered them. Wasn't it midnight when they stepped into the portal?

"Did it… work?" he heard Kratos mutter. Looking up, he saw that they certainly weren't at the Otherworldly gate anymore. In front of them, he could just make out an ocean in the distance. Behind them was a landmass of forests and mountains. Judging from the position of the sun, it was somewhere between late morning and early afternoon.

"I guess so." Yuan said, awestruck. Then he noticed he was pinning Kratos to the ground. "Oh, sorry!" he quickly let go of his hand.

"So, what now?" Kratos asked, getting to his feet.

"I think that if we follow the shoreline, we'll eventually run into a city or a village…" Yuan replied, staring at the ocean.

"Then, let's get going."

* * *

A few hours later, the two reached a large harbor city called Palmacosta. They tried their best to blend in as they strolled through the market place. Still, even though their clothes were a little strange, nobody spared them a second glance. Nobody seemed to notice or care that Yuan was a half-elf. Was it true that half-elves were accepted as equals in Sylvarant after all? Soon, they had spent the entire day sightseeing, as the sun started to set. 

"I like this world." Yuan said contently, as they entered a large town square.

"So far, so good. But we need to learn more about this place." Kratos pondered. "We have to find out about habits, cultural differences… How we pay for things… I doubt our Tethe'allan money will be any good here."

"Yeah, I suppose."

"I think we should go and visit the mayor. He might be able to give us some insight on things."

"We're not going to tell him where we're from, are we?" Yuan asked.

"No, ofcourse not. We'll just say we're from a faraway country or something." Kratos shrugged.

"Ah okay." Yuan sighed and stopped walking. He wasn't really feeling like meeting some stuffy old guy, and pretending to be a tourist. Even though it was partly true. "You can go alone. I saw a café near the docks. I'll meet you there, okay?"

"But you don't have any money." Kratos said, turning to face him.

"I know. But anything beats this." Yuan shrugged.

"Very well." The human wrapped his arms around Yuan. "I'll see you later." He whispered.

"Later." Yuan replied happily, before breaking free and turning around.

* * *

Half an hour later, he was sitting on a bar stool in a dark, stuffy café. It was mostly filled with large sailors, who were gathered round a table and laughing heartily. Yuan sighed and rested his head on his hands. He ignored the glances the bartender was shooting him. Maybe coming here was a bad idea after all. Suddenly, a woman approached him. She had long green hair, with locks that decorated the side of her face. Yuan thought that she wore a bit too much make-up for his tastes. He also noticed she was a half-elf. 

"Hey there." She said, sitting down next to him. "What brings a guy like you here?"

"I'm waiting for someone." Yuan replied shortly. This didn't scare the woman off though. Instead, she beckoned the bartender over.

"The usual." She said, smiling. The bartender nodded and pulled out some bottles from behind the counter. A few seconds later, he slid a glass of blue-ish liquid over to the woman. She paid him, and passed the glass to Yuan.

"My treat." She said, smiling at him expectantly.

Normally Yuan wouldn't accept drinks from strange women, but he hadn't had anything decent to drink in a long time now. He put the glass to his lips and took a small sip, before making a disgusted face.

"What, is this your first time drinking alcohol?" the woman asked.

"No. But this is different from what I usually drink." Yuan said honestly, putting the glass down again.

"You're a strange one." The woman chuckled. "So who are you waiting for?"

Yuan didn't like the way this woman was talking to him. "A friend of mine." He replied.

"Really? Why not dump him and have some fun with me?" the woman asked, winking at him. Yuan was really starting to get creeped out now.

"No. Sorry." He said, running a hand through his hair.

"Are you sure?" the woman asked, edging closer. "I can show you the wild side of town."

"Not interested." Yuan glared at her. A clear sign that she should piss off now. The woman narrowed her golden eyes and left with a slight 'humph!', before joining another table.

Yuan sighed and stared at the drink before him. Sure, it was given to him by a hooker, and it tasted lousy, but it seemed like a shame to leave it. Closing his eyes, he quickly gulped it down.

Fifteen minutes passed, but Kratos still hadn't arrived. Yuan was starting to get a headache. In fact, he was feeling a bit light-headed. But there was no way he'd be getting drunk from just one drink. Deciding he needed some fresh air, he got up from his stool. He soon had to grab the counter for support, as his legs seemed to want to give way.

'Okay, something is seriously wrong now.' He thought, feeling his head. Leaning against the wall, he tried to make his way for the door. Halfway there, his eyes fell shut and he doubled over, falling to his knees. He suddenly felt very tired. Groaning slightly, he collapsed to the floor.

* * *

"Good job Pronyma! The master will be pleased." 

"Thank you. Oh, did you notice? He has an exsphere."

"He must've stolen it somewhere. I saw we take it and sell it."

"I dunno… I heard people turn into monsters if you remove their exspheres. He'd be useless to us like that."

"But what if he tries to escape using magic?"

"That's what the shackles are for. They suppress all kinds of magic."

Yuan stirred, feeling incredibly groggy. He wondered vaguely what those voices were talking about, and why they wouldn't shut up. They caused him a tremendous headache. Slowly opening his eyes, he noticed he was lying on the floor, on his right side. He was in a room he didn't recognize, and feeling incredibly miserable. In front of him two people were arguing loudly. He squinted, trying to clear his vision. One was a woman with long green hair. She rang a bell somewhere in the back of his head, but he couldn't quite place his finger on it. The other was a man with shoulder length, aquamarine colored hair. His left arm was obviously fake, and he had a patch over his right eye. Trying to brush his hair out of his face, he noticed his hands were shackled together. The chain made a nasty rattling sound.

"Oh my! He's waking up already? It must be because of the expsphere." The woman said, staring at him. "Magnius, could you take him to the cells?" she called to someone who was outside of Yuan's field of vision.

"Me? Why should _I_ do it?" replied a low voice.

"I was the one who found him. I did most of the work!" the woman snapped back. "If you want your share of the pay, you'll have to help too."

"What about Forcystus then? I don't see _him_ hurrying to help." Magnius snarled.

"Hey, I told you. I sprained my ankle." The man with aquamarine hair said shortly.

"Yeah right." Magnius stepped forward. It was a tall man, with flaming red hair, tied back in bunches. He easily grabbed Yuan, and slung him over his shoulder, before walking off. "Stupid Pronyma, always bossing people around." He muttered, carrying Yuan down a flight of stairs. Yuan tried to object. To shout, or struggle. But his body felt like lead, and he couldn't find the energy to use his voice.

Magnius arrived in the basement, and unlocked a door. He threw Yuan into the dark room, before slamming the door shut. As the half-elf hit the floor, he passed out again.

* * *

((Yuan seems to be some sort of trouble magnet, doesn't he? -_sigh_- What has he gotten himself into now?)) 


	13. Nightmares

Tales of Symphonia, vale of misery.

((A/N: 6 reviews... Thanks to **Nife**, **Mandi Minamoto**, **Katandshadow**, **Silver Latias**, **HealingWind** and **Strawberries and napkins**!))

* * *

Chapter thirteen. 

Yuan had the faint idea he was surrounded by darkness. Trying to remember where he was, or what he'd been doing just made his head hurt. Well, hurt more than it already did. He was aching all over, and feeling extremely groggy. He wasn't quite sure how long he'd been lying there, and if he was awake or not. Everything just seemed like some sort of dream. Then, he felt a hand touching his face. Tending to him. It seemed familiar, but at the same time, it wasn't. Managing to crack open an eye, he saw a woman with green hair bending over him.

"Martel?" he whispered.

"He's waking up." The woman said, backing away slightly.

"Just leave the guy alone." Said another voice. It was male.

Yuan blinked a few times, trying to get his eyes to adapt to the darkness. The woman wasn't Martel at all. Her hair was tied back, with long locks hanging past her face. She wore glasses, and had a kind smile. Yuan felt silly for confusing her with his fiancée, who had been dead for over ten years.

"My head…" he groaned, sitting up.

"You shouldn't stress yourself. The drug probably hasn't worn off yet." The woman said, trying to hold him back.

Yuan stared at the shackles that tied his hands. He recognized them, somewhere in the back of his head. But he couldn't quite remember. Then the words got through to him. "Drug?"

The woman nodded faintly in response. Choking on his breath, Yuan looked around. He was in a dark room, with a couple of beds. It seemed a bit like a prison, only worse. The only light was coming through a few small windows near the ceiling. He saw a man sitting on one of the beds, staring blankly at the wall in front of him. Yuan could sense he was a half-elf too. The man had bright orange hair, but he wore a white bandana to cover it.

"I'm Kate." The woman said, snapping Yuan back to reality. "And that's Harley." She said, looking over at the man on the bed. Harley didn't respond, but kept staring at the wall. "He doesn't talk much…" Kate sighed.

"I'm Yuan." Yuan sighed and looked around hopelessly. "Where are we?"

"Hell." Harley said shortly.

"Heh. Who knows where we are? It could be anywhere." Kate shrugged. Yuan stared at her, questioningly. "You have no idea what this place is, do you?" she asked. The blue-haired half-elf shook his head in response. "We're going to be sold off. As slaves."

"S-slaves?" Yuan exclaimed.

"This is an illegal slave market, hidden somewhere in Palmacosta."

"But that's just… wrong."

"Tch. What do they know about wrong? Even though the church of Sylvarant forbids slavery, it's still around." Kate sighed.

"They think that just because we're half-elves, they can treat us like dirt." Harley mumbled.

"But… The others… That green-haired woman, and that large guy. Aren't they half-elves too?" Yuan asked, trying to remember. Everything that had happened last night was still a little bit foggy.

"Yes. But they're just lackeys. Slaves, like us. The only difference is that they get paid to capture others." Kate explained.

"So they're working for a human?"

"Yes. But I'm not sure who. He doesn't bother to come down here, so I've never met him."

Yuan was starting to panic slightly. Sylvarant treating half-elves as equals was a lie after all. Just another myth. They'd come all this way for nothing. Him and Kratos. Yuan felt his heart sink as he thought about his partner. Just when they'd confessed to each other, something like this had to happen. He hoped that Kratos wouldn't be worried sick, and that he would come to find him. To save him, again. The blue-haired half-elf felt pathetic. He was always the one who needed rescuing. Sighing, he raised his shackled hands and stared at them. He tried to summon an energy blast to his palm, but nothing happened. Frowning, he tried again.

"What are you doing?" Kate asked, staring at him.

"If I could just use my magic, I might be able to get us out of here." Yuan replied, not giving up.

"Magic? Oh, you have an exsphere!" Kate glanced at the gem on the back of Yuan's hand. "Where did you get it? Did you steal it?"

"Something like that… It's a long story." Sighing, Yuan lowered his hands again. "It's no use. The shackles are blocking my magic."

"The only way out of here, is to be sold." Harley said shortly.

"But… I can't be sold." Yuan replied desperately. "My friend is probably looking for me as we speak."

"Friend… Yes, I had friends too." Kate sighed. "They never came for me."

Yuan groaned as he felt another wave of nausea come over him. He leaned back against the wall, as Kate stared at him in concern.

"You'd better rest a bit more." She said, pulling him to his feet and helping him over to one of the beds. Yuan laid down and allowed himself to fall asleep.

* * *

As the days passed, Yuan felt his hope for rescue slowly disappear. There were no signs that Kratos would come to save him, or that he was even out looking for him. But the man wouldn't just leave him behind, right? Meanwhile, the time in the cell passed excruciatingly slow. The only highlight of the day was when Magnius would step inside, shoot them all a nasty glare, and toss some food at them. It was always either a stale loaf of bread, or fruit that was already starting to turn brown, accompanied by a bottle of water they would have to share. Yuan hadn't told Kate and Harley where he was from. He wasn't planning on it either. He knew they would think he'd snapped. He mostly kept to himself, in the same way Harley did.

* * *

_Yuan was lying on his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. Letting out a sigh, he rolled over onto his side. His eyes widened in shock. There, on the floor, was Kate. A splitting image of Martel, as she lay in a pool of her own blood. Her eyes were wide and empty. Kratos and Yggdrasill were standing next to her, both staring at her body with a blank expression. Yuan quickly got to his feet and stepped backwards. Yggdrasill looked up at him and smirked. He stepped over Kate's body and approached him. Yuan quickly backed away further, but soon hit the wall behind him. He cowered into a corner. Yggdrasill placed both hands on either side of him, trapping him. His heartbeat increasing, Yuan looked over Yggdrasill's shoulder. Kratos was still staring at Kate with that blank expression._

"_Kratos!"_

_Kratos looked up, and stared at him. Then, a smirk similar to Yggdrasill's appeared on his face. He turned and started to walk away. _

"_Kratos! Wait! Don't leave me! Kratos!" _

_Yuan's shouting was in vain, as the door slammed shut, leaving him with Yggdrasill. He looked up at that face he'd grown to fear. _

"_Don't worry. This will only hurt a lot." Yggdrasill hissed, bending forward. Yuan wanted to run away, but something was binding him to the spot. Terrified, he started screaming wildly. His throat started to hurt, but he didn't care. He wanted Kratos to return. _

* * *

"Yuan! Wake up!" 

Yuan was rolling around on his bed, fighting off the blankets he was entangled in.

"It's just a dream! Please stop screaming." A voice pleaded, as someone shook him lightly.

"Move over." Grunted another voice, and the next second Yuan was brought back to reality, as someone slapped him across the face. He shot up, his hands automatically moving to his cheek. His breathing came in sharp intakes, and he could feel cold sweat rolling down his back.

"Are you alright?" Kate asked, sitting down on his bedside.

"Kate! Y-youre…" Yuan felt a wave of relief as he saw the woman was still alive. The dream had seemed so real.

* * *

((More character cameos! Whoooh! I mean... Err... -_clears throat_-)) 

((Nawww... Poor Yuan... He's been traumatized by Yggy, and he's gonna be sold off as a slave... Where's Kratos when you need him?))


	14. Knight In Shining Armour

Tales of Symphonia, vale of misery.

((A/N: Loople-doo! 6 reviews! Thanks to **Nife**, **Katandshadow**, **Koeji**, **Lady Rina**, **Silver Latias** and** Strawberries and napkins**!))

* * *

Chapter fourteen. 

Suddenly, the door slammed open and Magnius stomped in, closely followed by Pronyma and Forcystus. The three of them looked extremely irritated. And seeing Pronyma without her make-up was a strange sight indeed.

"You." Magnius growled, approaching Yuan. Yuan automatically raised his blankets a little in defense. "Do you enjoy waking people up in the middle of the night?"

"I-I…" Yuan stuttered. The look on Magnius's face was very frightening. He quickly got up from the bed and backed away.

"I'll show you what happens to those who disturb my sleep." Magnius strode over to Yuan and grabbed him by the throat. Yuan made strange whimpering sound, trying to push the large hands off him. Hands strangling him, squeezing his windpipe.

"Please, let him go." Kate pleaded, patting Magnius's arm faintly. "He just had a nightmare. That's all."

"Get off me, vermin!" Magnius roared, pushing her away again. Kate nearly fell back, but she was caught by Harley.

"Don't touch her." He hissed.

"Tch." Magnius dropped Yuan to the floor, and turned to leave. Yuan started coughing loudly, feeling his throat.

"You think you're so tough. But you're nothing but traitors! Selling out your own kind!" Harley shouted. Magnius stopped in his tracks, and turned to face him again.

"Oh really? I'll show you what traitors can do!" he said, pulling back his fist and hitting Harley in the face.

"Harley!" Kate shrieked.

Harley fell to his knees, clutching his bruised jaw. Magnius kicked him in the side, so that he landed on the floor with a bang. Yuan's eyes widened, as he watched Magnius continually kick the boy in the stomach.

"Magnius." Pronyma said sharply. Magnius looked up and snarled at her. "If you kill the boy, we won't be able to sell him."

"Yeah, last time you killed a slave, the master wasn't very pleased. And if I remember correctly, he punished all three of us." Forcystus added casually.

"Oh, alright." Magnius grunted. He gave Harley one last kick, and left with the others.

"Harley!" Kate quickly crawled over to the boy, who was lying on his side with his knees pulled up to his face. Yuan shakily walked over to him, and kneeled down next to him too.

"He should be fine." He said, checking Harley's injuries. But this couldn't go on like this. This place truly was hell.

* * *

A few days later, the three were awoken by loud talking on the floor above them, and even a few shouts. 

"What's going on up there?" Yuan wondered aloud.

"You don't suppose they've found a buyer, do you?" Kate asked nervously. Yuan felt his stomach sink. If he was sold, there was no way he'd ever see Kratos again.

"I dunno. It sounds like several voices." Harley commented. He was still bruised by Magnius's attacks, but he'd live.

Suddenly, the door opened, and Yuan, who had been expecting to see Magnius, got quite a shock. It was a woman. Her raven-black hair was tied back tightly, and she was wearing an official looking uniform. He heard Kate gasp next to him.

"Don't worry. I'm an agent from the church of Sylvarant. I'm here to help you." The woman said, entering the room and taking in her surroundings. Then she noticed Yuan. "Oh, you must be Yuan, right?"

"Y-yes." He replied, slightly taken aback. How did this woman know his name?

"Come with me." She said, holding the door open for him.

Yuan blinked for a second, and got to his feet. "Uh… Bye." He said to Kate and Harley, before entering the hallway. The bright light stung his eyes, and he held up his hands to protect them. The shackles rattled slightly.

"Let's go." The woman said, starting to walk up the stairs. Yuan nodded faintly, and followed. As he arrived on the first floor, he saw that there were several more people in uniform, searching the place. And speaking to one of them was…

"Kratos!" Yuan exclaimed, feeling his heart rise, and shoot all the way into his throat. Kratos had come for him afterall! He hadn't been abandoned!

Kratos cast a quick glance at him, before returning to the conversation. Yuan frowned slightly.

"That's one heck of a friend you've got there." The raven-haired woman said, grabbing a bunch of keys and using them to unlock Yuan's shackles. "If he hadn't reported you as missing, we probably wouldn't have found out about this. He kept insisting that we should look harder." The woman smiled faintly. "He even helped us with capturing those responsible."

"Really?" Yuan grinned, as the shackles fell to the ground. He rubbed his sore wrists, and felt some of his magic returning to him.

Then, a younger agent approached them. He saluted to the woman. "Commander Sheena, we've managed to capture Dorr and one of his lackeys. But the green-haired woman and the one with the prosthetic arm have escaped."

"Keep searching. They can't have gotten far." Sheena ordered.

"Yes ma'am." The agent saluted again, and ran off.

"Dorr?" Yuan repeated.

"The one behind all this. It's sad that he's also this city's mayor. The deputy mayor, Neil, will have to take over now." Sheena shrugged.

"I see."

"Well, don't just stand here." Sheena placed her hands on Yuan's shoulders, and steered him over to Kratos. Yuan felt his face growing hot. The woman probably meant well, but he was so ashamed, he'd rather sink through the ground.

"Look what the cat dragged in." Sheena said. Yuan stared faintly at the floor, but he knew Kratos was observing him.

"Are you well?" the human asked.

Yuan nodded, not daring to meet his eyes.

"You know, our offer to join the agents of the church of Sylvarant still stands." Sheena placed her hands in her hips.

"I appreciate the offer, but we have to keep traveling." Kratos responded.

"Too bad." Sheena sighed. "People are losing their faith in the church. It would be nice to have new recruits."

"Commander! Could you come take a look at this?" called one of the agents.

"Coming!" the woman gave Yuan and Kratos a slight wave, and walked away again, leaving them alone.

Yuan still stared at the floor. This wasn't exactly the way he'd imagined his rescuing. And he hadn't expected it to be so awkward.

"Kratos, I…"

"Let's go." Kratos grabbed Yuan's arm, and pulled him out the door. Was he angry?

* * *

((And yet another cameo. Sheena this time. She's cool.)) 

((Hey, who here expected Dorr to be behind it? I bet none of you did! Heheheheheh...))


	15. The Swallow

Tales of Symphonia, vale of misery.

((A/N: Gah, won't upload Word documents at the moment... I had to paste the chapter in a Wordpad. Anywhooo, 7 reviews! Yay! Thanks to **Nife**, **Tomato Nazi**,** Mandi Minamoto**, **Katandshadow**, **Silver Latias**, **HealingWind** and **Strawberries and napkins! **Oh, and to answer a question, Kate and Harley were not left behind. They were freed too.))

* * *

Chapter fifteen. 

Soon, the two had left the city, but Kratos still hadn't spoken a word. Yuan wished he'd just talk to him. This kind of silence was unbearable.

As they strode down a country lane, Kratos finally decided to stop. He let go of Yuan's arm and turned to face him. His expression was quite unreadable.

"Kratos, a-are you upset?" Yuan stuttered.

"Why do you constantly have to get yourself into trouble?" Kratos shouted.

"Wh-what?"

"You always seem to attract drama wherever we go, don't you?"

"Hey, it's not like I want to!" Yuan shouted. Was Kratos actually saying this was his fault?

"Can you not look after yourself for once?"

"I-I…" Yuan blinked. Kratos was right. So far, he'd always needed him to save the day. How many times had the human come to his rescue already? He gulped and stared at the ground again.

"You selfish bastard! Don't you realize what you're putting me through?" Kratos snarled.

"Then maybe this selfish bastard should just leave you alone!" Yuan retorted. He turned and ran off, as fast as he could.

* * *

By the time Yuan had stopped running, he'd entered a thick forest. He strode through the maze of trees helplessly. Finally, he noticed a river, and approached it. He sat down, leaning his back against a tree, and watched the clear water glitter in the morning light. 

All this time, he'd brought Kratos nothing but suffering. He'd forced the man to constantly go out of his way. If it wasn't for him, Kratos would still be living in Flanoir with his son. Now, he was reduced to being a babysitter. Was Yuan really a selfish bastard? He sighed, and threw a pebble into the pond. If only he wasn't so damn weak. If only he could've looked out for himself from the start. He buried his face in his hands, letting his tears flow freely. He really had made a mess of things.

After what seemed like ages, Yuan suddenly heard a twig snap. He listened intently, and heard footsteps approach him. Still, he kept his face hidden.

"Yuan."

Yuan didn't reply. Maybe, if he ignored the human long enough, he would leave again.

"Yuan, look at me."

'Just go, dammit. You don't want to be around a selfish bastard like me.' He thought furiously.

"Yuan, I want you to hit me."

"Wh-what?" This made him look up sharply. Kratos was standing in front of him, observing him intently.

"I said some things I shouldn't have said, and I'm sorry. You have every right to punch me."

"B-but…" Yuan scrambled to his feet, and stared into those ruby eyes. They seemed to be sincere.

"I insist that you do so." Kratos closed his eyes, ready for the blow.

Yuan blinked. He was being serious. But this wasn't right. It should be the other way around. _He_ was the one who had brought Kratos suffering. If anyone should be hit, it should be him. Yuan held out both hands and gave Kratos a hard shove in the chest. Before the human realized what was going on, he was already falling back. He landed in the river behind him with a splash. Yuan grinned slyly, as Kratos appeared at the surface again, gasping for breath.

"I said 'punch', not 'push'!" he called, running a hand through his unruly auburn locks to get them out of his face.

"You wouldn't get hurt from one of my punches. I'm far too weak." Yuan replied, sitting down at the base of the tree again.

"What? You're not weak." Kratos was obviously surprised by the half-elf's comment. He swam over to the shore and pushed himself out the water again.

"Yes, I am. You basically said so yourself."

"I didn't mean it like that." the human sat down next to him.

"It's still true." Yuan sighed. There was a small silence.

"You know what your problem is? You do have strength, but you can't channel it properly." Kratos said.

"Huh?"

"You need a weapon. That way, you can fight."

"A weapon huh?" Yuan considered this. He'd wanted a sword since he was little. But he was never able to afford one. Plus, he hardly knew how to use one. Those same problems had returned here. "Where would we get one? We don't have money."

"I got a reward for helping the church of Sylvarant catch Dorr. It should suffice." Kratos said casually.

"Wow! You got money for that?" Yuan's eyes widened. Well, that was one problem down… "You'll have to show me how to use a sword though."

"That's no problem. I used to teach new recruits at Flanoir." Kratos cast his eyes at the ground. "I always wanted to teach Lloyd how to fight too."

"I see." Yuan felt his stomach sink. Another awkward moment. He couldn't think of anything comforting to say, so he just wrapped his arms around the human. Kratos closed his eyes, and allowed himself to fall over, laying his head down in Yuan's lap.

"I missed you." He mumbled.

"I'm sorry." Yuan replied, holding him tightly. Then he noticed the dark circles under Kratos's eyes. He realized that the human had been so worried about him, he'd hardly gotten any sleep. But that was all going to change now.

* * *

Later that day, the two entered a weapon shop in Palmacosta. Yuan glanced around in awe. 

"It looks like a decent collection." Kratos admitted. "It'll do"

Examining all the swords, Yuan couldn't help but feel that they lacked something. Sure, they all looked capable of distributing a powerful blow. But something was missing.

"How about this one?" Kratos asked, pointing out a sword laying in a glass case. It had a long, slender blade, and the handle was a dark blue, with slight gold decorations.

"Meh… I dunno…" Yuan muttered. It seemed nice enough…

He looked up again, and something hanging from the wall caught his eye. It was a large double-saber. Two huge red blades, decorated with black patches, golden lines and a blue jewel. A sharp metal lining went all around them, and they were held together with a slim, black handle. It looked incredibly heavy, but when swung properly, it could pack quite a punch.

Kratos noticed him staring, and glanced at it too. "You like _that_ one?"

"Well…" Yuan found himself unable to look away.

The shop owner, smelling a deal, was suddenly standing behind him. "You have good taste, sir." He said. "This is a very special weapon. The Swallow. Only one like this was made."

"The Swallow…" Yuan repeated. The name seemed appropriate. It looked like it could easily glide through the air.

"How much does it cost?" Kratos asked. The shopkeeper pointed to a sign hanging next to it. Kratos made a faint choking sound.

"Kratos, if it's not in our price range, we can just leave it." Yuan said. Afterall, it was Kratos's money. Still, he couldn't help but feel disappointed.

"No. We'll take it."

"Really?" Yuan looked up happily, and resisted the urge to give his friend a tight hug.

"Very well." The shopkeeper took the Swallow down from the wall. "Would you like me to wrap it up?"

"No, we'll just eat it here." Kratos replied sarcastically. Yuan quickly stiffled a snort.

* * *

((Kratos suffers from extreme moodswings, obviously...)) 


	16. The Art Of The Sword

Tales of Symphonia, vale of misery.

((A/N: Welcoming **Crystal Adept**, our latest reader! Also, I wanna thank allthe regular reviewers! **Katandshadow**, **Nife**, **Silver Latias**, **HealingWind**, **Strawberries and napkins** and **Temari of the Suna**!

To answer Kat's question: There's a lemon hint in this chapter... There's a lemon hint in next chapter... But no implied lemons. There might be implied rape like... 3 chapters from now. But I haven't quite planned those scenes yet, so... Heh. Anyway, enjoy this chapter!))

* * *

Chapter sixteen. 

Later that day, the two were sitting in a clearing, in a forest near Palmacosta. It was time for Yuan's fist lesson in swordsmanship.

"Now, remember, I can only teach you the basics. I don't know the first thing about double-sabers." Kratos began.

"That's okay." Yuan smiled at him.

"Now that you have a weapon, you must keep it with you at all times. It is an extension of yourself, and you have to grow accustomed to carrying it around." Kratos began.

Yuan nodded faintly. Keep this thing with him at all times? But it was so heavy…

"You need to familiarize yourself with the sword. You need to know where it's going to strike. If you just start swinging it wildly, you'll cut things you don't intend to cut." The human continued. "With a sword like that, you can strike not only in front of you, but behind you too. Or on both your sides. It can be used as an advantage, but your partners won't enjoy getting hit when you don't pay attention. Keep that in mind."

Yuan tried hard to hide a smile at the thought of Kratos getting whacked in the back of his head by the Swallow.

"You need to know the pros and cons of your weapon. Take the size, for example. A con would be that it's hard to lift, and makes you slower. But if you manage to use it right, it will do more damage to the enemy. Because it's so large, it can also be used to block attacks better. Use it as a shield, in a matter of speaking. But raising it too late could cost you your head."

Yuan was starting to get impressed by Kratos's knowledge. Then again, he was the leader of the Flanoir knights… It was only logical he knew these things.

"You also need to develop your own style. You can use the attacks of others as an example, but don't blandly copy them. Create your own version." Kratos paused, thinking deeply. "That's really all I can teach you."

"It's enough to keep me occupied." Yuan sighed, balancing the Swallow in his hand. There was more to fighting with a weapon than just swinging it, obviously.

* * *

The companions traveled North, towards a mountain range. Yuan didn't want to be near Palmacosta anymore, and Kratos had obviously noticed. As they continued their journey, Yuan continued his swordsman lessons. He was slowly learning how to use the Swallow. But even though he thought he was becoming fairly good, he was still no match for Kratos. 

After a few months, they passed through a place called Hakonesia peak, and reached the other side of the continent. They found a village called Asgard, which was also known as The city of ruins, because of its archeological background. Glad to have encountered another inn, they decided to stay there for a few days. Little did they know they would meet someone there who would bring a drastic change to their journey.

"I can't believe we got lost…" Yuan muttered, as they made their way through a deserted little street.

"_You_'re the one who wanted to go for a walk… I wanted to stay at the inn." Kratos sighed.

"I know how your perverted little human mind works! Take your mind out of the gutter for once and enjoy the scenery!" Yuan chuckled.

Suddenly, a little boy ran around a corner, and bumped into Yuan. The boy fell to the ground, sobbing loudly.

"Whoah, are you okay?" Yuan sank through his knees to examine the boy. He seemed about five years old, and had flaming red hair. His eyes showed that he'd been crying before running into Yuan.

"M-mommy! Help my mommy!" he cried.

"Why? What happened?" Yuan asked in alarm.

The boy didn't reply, but shook his head, still weeping.

"Calm down." Kratos said, getting to his knees too and placing a hand on the boy's shoulder to soothe him.

"Mommy was reading me a story… And then these men came in. And…" the boy choked on his tears. "And then she fell to the ground! She was bleeding, and she didn't wake up!"

"Kratos…" Yuan muttered slowly, glancing at his friend. If this was what it sounded like…

"There he is!" Three men came running towards them, and unsheathed their swords.

"The strangers." The boy whimpered hoarsely, his bright blue eyes widening in fear. He leaned forward and buried his face in Yuan's cloak.

Kratos got to his feet and moved to stand in front of them. "What do you want?"

"We need that boy to finish our mission. Do not stand in our way." One of the men said, pointing his sword at Kratos threateningly.

"What kind of mission could possibly require you to kill an innocent boy?" Kratos growled.

"None of your business, traveler. Step aside if you want to live."

"I'm afraid you underestimate me." Kratos unsheathed his sword too, before glancing back at Yuan. "Take the boy, and run."

"But…" Yuan looked up at him, unsure of what to do.

"I said run." Kratos barked, turning back to the assassins.

Yuan let out a reluctant sigh, scooped the sobbing boy up from the ground and fled in the opposite direction. The men tried to follow, but Kratos held them back.

* * *

After running through the empty streets of Asgard aimlessly, Yuan encountered a back alley. He quickly jumped in and leaned against the wall, breathing heavily. The little boy was still weeping softly. Yuan wasn't sure how to deal with this situation. He knew nothing about kids. Kratos had been the parent. Not him. 

He wondered how Kratos was doing. Sure, he was a wonderful swordsman, but could he win against three enemies? Yuan was suddenly painfully aware of the Swallow that was slung over his shoulder. He couldn't just stand here. He needed to help his companion.

"Wait here." He ordered, sinking through his knees and setting the boy on the ground.

"You're leaving me alone?" the boy asked, a scared expression on his face.

"I need to help my friend. But don't worry. I'll be back. Hide, and make sure nobody sees you." Yuan smiled gently at the boy, before getting to his feet again and running off.

The blue-haired man didn't have that much trouble finding the location of the battle again. The sounds of swords clashing rang through the streets. Luckily, nobody but him was around to hear it.

Kratos had just knocked out one of the assassins, and turned to the second, when the last one creeped up behind him, ready to strike.

"Behind you!" Yuan shouted, running towards him.

Kratos hopped aside just in time to avoid the third assassin's blade.

"I told you to run!" he said angrily.

"I couldn't just leave you behind." Yuan smirked, taking the Swallow off his back and holding it up. Finally, a real battle to test his skills.

"Fools!" one the assassins shouted, lunging towards them. Yuan held up his weapon to block him, and Kratos got ready to strike. But the other assassin jumped in to protect his partner. It escalated into a fierce battle, as both companions tried their best to strike at the enemy. Kratos was the first to succeed, as he managed to hit the assassin in the head. The man slumped to the ground with a shout.

"Need some help, Yuan?" the auburn-haired human asked, turning back.

"Nah, I'm good." Yuan called back, blocking another slash and waiting for a weak spot to appear. And then it did. The perfect chance to strike. Yuan quickly swung the Swallow against his enemy's knee, knocking him off his feet. The man screamed, and landed on his back. Yuan held his blade against the assassin's throat threateningly.

"And now, we need answers."

* * *

((Kratos is a good teacher, aint he? I hope so. I had to think of all those swordsman tips myself...)) 

((Have we guessed who the little boy is, yet? It should be painfully obvious.))


	17. Zelos

Tales of Symphonia, vale of misery.

((A/N: 5 reviews. Nice! Thanks to **Tomato Nazi**, **Katandshadow**, **Koeji**, **Silver Latias** and **HealingWind**! I _knew_ most of you would guess who the little boy is...))

* * *

Chapter seventeen. 

"Answers? Tch. We were just doing our mission. Why do _you_ care?" the assassin growled.

"_We_'ll be asking the questions around here." Yuan retorted, bringing his blade closer to the man's throat. "Now, who sent you?"

"Mrs. Wilder." The man replied simply.

"I'm afraid you'll have to be a bit more specific than that."

"The boy's mother had an affair with Mr. Wilder. Mrs. Wilder found out. She couldn't stand the thought that her husband had another family out there. So she asked us to kill them."

"Does the father know about this?" Kratos asked.

"Yes. But he doesn't care. He never did like his son, and the woman was just a play toy for him."

"That's horrible..." Yuan muttered.

"And his mother? Is she...?"

"Oh, we made sure she's dead." The assassin grinned evilly.

"You bastards!" Yuan swiftly kicked the man's side.

"If anyone asks, tell them the boy is dead too." Kratos ordered shortly.

"Kratos, what are you-" Yuan looked up at him. What was the human planning?

"We'll make sure nobody here sees the boy again, and you still get paid for your failure. It's a win-win situation."

"Tch. Very well." The assassin spat.

"Let's go, Yuan." Kratos turned to leave.

Yuan hesitated for a second, but then lifted the Swallow again and hurried after his friend, leaving the three assassins behind.

* * *

"Are you saying we should just take the boy with us?" Yuan asked, dumbstruck, as he led the way to the back alley. 

"What other choice do we have? We can't leave him here. He'll be in danger." Kratos reasoned.

"Yes, but are you really alright with this? I mean... because of..." Yuan couldn't bring himself to say the name. He knew how emotional Kratos got whenever Lloyd was brought up.

"Let's get one thing straight. This boy is not a replacement for my dead son." The human snarled.

"That's not what I meant. I mean..." Yuan paused, noticing the gloomy expression on his friend's face. "Nevermind."

The two entered the back alley, and looked around. The boy was sitting in a dark corner, his knees pulled up to his face. When he heard them approach, he looked up sharply.

"Didn't I tell you to hide?" Yuan sighed.

"Did you... help my mommy?" the boy asked.

Yuan glanced over at Kratos and gulped, unsure of what to say. The human, however, did know. He bent over and picked the boy up from the ground.

"I'm afraid we couldn't. She's gone."

"When is she coming back?" the boy asked.

"She's not." Kratos said simply. Yuan wondered if it was alright to be so casual about it.

"She was needed in heaven."

"She left me alone?" the boy began sobbing again.

"She didn't want to, but she had no choice. Still, she'll always be watching you, to make sure you'll be a good boy."

The boy sniffed softly. "Now who's going to read me bedtime stories?"

"Don't worry. I know how to read. You can come with us, and travel around the world." Kratos smiled gently at him.

"I always wanted to go on a holiday..." The boy admitted, wiping the tears off his cheek.

"What's your name?" Kratos asked.

"Zelos."

"I'm Kratos, and this is Yuan. Pleased to meet you."

* * *

The two swiftly continued their journey, now accompanied by the young boy. Zelos regularly seemed lonely but he was also easily distracted by the strange things they encountered. Still, after a few months, he appeared to be growing tired of travelling. 

Deciding they didn't have any other choice, Yuan and Kratos started searching for a place to settle down. They found a small house outside a village called Hima, and moved in. It was up to Kratos to teach Zelos how to write, read and other basic knowledge.

Yuan meanwhile got a job in Hima, doing chores. It was similar to what he used to do in Ozette. Chopping wood, or fixing houses... The only difference was that people didn't shoot him filthy looks. They didn't mind as much that he was a half-elf.

* * *

One night, Yuan was awoken by a faint sobbing sound. He opened his eyes, and peered around, listening intently. Kratos was fast asleep by his side. Which meant that the sound could only originate from one other person. Sighing deeply, he crawled out of bed. Kratos snored slightly, and rolled over on his back. Yuan smiled faintly at him, and walked into the hallway. The door to Zelos's room was open, and the boy was sitting up in his bed, hiding his face in his hands. 

"Zelos, what's wrong?" Yuan asked, wandering over to him and placing himself on the side of the bed.

"I'm scared." The boy sobbed.

"Why?" Yuan asked, patting the wailing boy on the head.

"I dreamt that... the people who took mommy away came here."

"But that was just a dream." Yuan said gently. "Now go back to sleep."

"I can't. I'm afraid." Zelos stared at Yuan with wide, tearstained eyes. The half-elf sighed.

"Wanna know what I always do when I'm afraid?" he asked. The boy nodded slightly. "I go to Kratos."

"Kratos?"

"He protected me from bad things many times. And I'm sure he'd protect you too." Yuan smiled again.

"Is Kratos a hero?" Zelos asked.

"Yes. He sure is."

"Then... Can I sleep in your bed tonight?"

"What?" Yuan was slightly taken aback by this.

"Whenever I had a nightmare, mommy would let me sleep in her bed." Zelos smiled a little at the memory.

"Well, alright." Yuan knew he couldn't refuse anyway. In a way, the boy reminded him of himself. "We'll need to ask Kratos though." He got to his feet, as Zelos happily hopped out of bed. The two made their way to the bedroom across the hallway.

"Kratos, Zelos had a bad dream. Can he sleep here?" Yuan asked softly.

The human replied with a low, half-asleep "Sure."

"Yay!" Zelos crawled under the blankets, wrapped an arm around the human's chest and closed his eyes contently.

"Eh?" Kratos slowly blinked, staring at the boy hugging him.

"Too late to get rid of us now." Yuan chuckled, laying down on his other side and placing an arm around him too.

"You're a bastard. You know that?" Kratos hissed under his breath, so that Zelos couldn't hear.

"Yup. But I'm _your_ bastard." He whispered into the man's ear, smirking slightly.

* * *

((All together now! Awwwww! Aint they just adorable?)) 

((Yeah, I switched Zelos's history around a bit. Celes's mother is married to Zelos's dad now, and Zelos's mom was the other woman. Poor Zelly was unwanted...))


	18. Reunion

Tales of Symphonia, vale of misery.

((A/N: 7 reviews! Yay! Thanks to **Koeji**, **HealingWind**, **Crystaladept**, **Silver Latias**, **Katandshadow** and **Strawberries and napkins**! Also, thanks to **Nife**, for beta-reading!

Now, enjoy this evil chapter! ... Did I say evil? I meant monstrous! ... Did I say monstrous? I meant... Errr... twisting. Yeah, that's it.))

* * *

Chapter eighteen. 

Time passed in the blink of an eye for the two companions, and before they knew it, twenty years had already passed.

Zelos had grown up to be a lively young man. He was skilled with a sword, always cheerful, and seemed to enjoy flirting with the girls in town. But he could not stand living a life of 'boredom' in Hima, and moved to Palmacosta to become an agent of the Church of Sylvarant. The same job that had been offered to Kratos so long ago.

Yuan and Kratos were sad to see him go, but Zelos promised to return whenever he had the time.

Meanwhile the two lovers themselves hadn't changed one bit. Not even in appearance. They could only assume their special exspheres somehow stumped the growth of whoever wore it, once they had reached their peak.

Life in Hima was peaceful, and they hoped it could remain like that forever.

It didn't.

* * *

Kratos awoke one morning, thinking this day would be just like any other day. He crawled out of bed, yawning slightly, and got dressed. Then he opened the curtains, and allowed the sunlight to pour into the room. Turning back to Yuan, a slight smile appeared on his face. The half-elf had taken a liking to sleeping late on Sundays. 

He walked over to Yuan's side of the bed, and leaned forward, kissing him on the lips. His lover awoke with a snap, but then closed his eyes again in delight, wrapping his arms around Kratos's neck.

After a few moments, Kratos broke off again. "I'll be downstairs, okay?" he whispered.

"Hmmhmm." Yuan rolled over on his side, and hid under his blanket.

"Lazy bum." Kratos muttered, straightening up and leaving the room.

By the time Yuan appeared downstairs Kratos had already had breakfast. He was reading a book in the living room.

"I'm going to go to the market. Should I get you anything?" Yuan asked, fastening his cloak.

"No, I'm fine." Kratos responded, not looking up.

"You get way too absorbed in your books." The half-elf sighed, wrapping his arms around his companion's neck from behind.

"Is that so?"

"It's unfair of you to get absorbed into a world of your own, and leave me behind." Kratos was sure Yuan was pouting, even though he couldn't see his face.

"I'm sorry." The human said smiling softly.

"You're forgiven." Yuan let go of him again, and straightened up. "Well, I'm off."

"Alright. See you soon."

As the door snapped shut Kratos thought he could continue reading, but a loud scream made him throw his book aside. He jumped to his feet and hurried over to the front door. As he ran though the hallway, he passed the Swallow. After all these years, Yuan had grown careless.

Nearly pulling the front door off its hinges as he opened it, Kratos rushed outside. His friend was nowhere to be seen. He took an uncertain step forward and suddenly felt a searing pain on the back of his head, knocking him unconscious.

* * *

A mix of shock and confusion running through him, Kratos slowly awoke again. What happened? He heard distant screaming. It sounded like it was miles away. 

'Yuan?'

Opening his eyes, he was greeted by darkness. It took a while to get used to. At last, he could make out the room he was in. Dull stone walls and floor, the only light came from a single torch near the door.

The next thing he noticed was that he was shackled to a wall. His arms spread out next to him, he hung a few inches above the ground. He tried struggling, but that only made his head hurt more.

"Well, look who's up." said a cold voice. A man with long blonde hair stepped forward, the light casting shadows on his face.

"You." Kratos spat.

"So, after all these years you still recognise me?" Yggdrasill asked. "I'm not surprised."

"You bastard!"

"Ah, no need for foul language." The thief approached him casually. "You wouldn't believe how much trouble it took me to track you two down. You just seemed to have disappeared off the face of the earth." Yggdrasill smirked slightly. "But after fourteen years, a nice elf on Exire told me where you'd gone. She was so gullible, to believe I was a friend of yours…"

"Virginia…" Kratos mumbled.

"Then, it took me six more years to find out where you live." Yggdrasill continued. "But seeing you like this now, it makes it all worth it."

"What do you want?" Kratos growled through clenched teeth.

"I want what's mine. You just ran off with my toy, while I was busy destroying your house." Yggdrasill narrowed his eyes.

"You sick, twisted bastard."

"I told you to watch your mouth!" Yggdrasill snapped, punching him in the stomach. Kratos would've doubled up in reflex if he could, but the way he was shackled to the wall made that impossible. Instead, he was left gasping for air.

"You've grown soft, Kratos Aurion. Once, you nearly matched my strength."

"Then maybe you shouldn't cheat." Kratos growled. "You've nullified my magic…"

"I couldn't let you blast a hole through the wall. That wouldn't be very nice. You _are_ my guest, after all." Yggdrasill said with a smirk.

"And instead of offering me a drink, you decide to bind me to a wall?" Kratos asked.

"Ah yes. The clash of sarcasm could continue for hours. But I have more to do."

"What did you do with Yuan?" the auburn-haired human could feel his anger rushing through him.

"I'm afraid that's none of your business anymore." Yggdrasill growled.

"Coward!" Kratos snarled.

Yggdrasill's eyes narrowed, as he punched his 'guest' in the stomach again. Kratos clenched his teeth together to prevent himself from screaming.

"Hey, leave some for me." Said a cold, male voice.

"Oh right. I _did_ promise you could have some fun too, after all." Yggdrasill stepped back, and turned to look at a man leaning against the wall in a dark corner. Kratos squinted, trying to make out his face.

"Ah. I believe you haven't met my new partner yet." The blonde thief said, noticing Kratos staring. He beckoned the man to come closer.

Kratos's eyes widened, and he felt his heart skip a few beats. This… This couldn't be. Standing before him was a boy in his early twenties. A boy with spiky, brown hair, wearing an impatient expression.

"Lloyd."

* * *

((Muahahahah! Hey, I _told_ you I'm not a big fan of character deaths! ... Don't hurt me!)) 


	19. A Father And His Son

Tales of Symphonia, vale of misery.

((A/N: Sorry this chapter is so late! I had some health problems during the weekend, so I couldn't finish the chapter. Eheheh... Nife, I'm sorry I didn't send the chapter to you for beta-reading, but I just finished it and wanted to get it up immediately.

8 reviews! Nice! Thanks to **Katandshadow,** **Koeji**, **Nife**, **Mandi Minamoto**, **Silver Latias**, **Crystal Adept**, **HealingWind **and **Lady Rina!**))

* * *

Chapter nineteen. 

Lloyd eyed the prisoner closely. Kratos wasn't sure if he'd heard him muttering his name, and decided to keep quiet for now.

"So, this is the guy you've been chasing for twenty years? He doesn't look so special to me." The boy said, turning to his partner.

"Looks can be deceiving. Nobody could tell you're an experienced swordfighter just by glancing at _you_ either." Yggdrasill crossed his arms simply.

"They wouldn't have time to glance." Lloyd smirked.

"Confident as ever, I see." The blonde thief sighed. "Well, I'm off. Make sure he suffers before you finish him off." With a wave of his hand, he'd left the room, and shut the door behind him.

Lloyd casually approached his prey, unsheathing his sword.

"Hmm.. Where to start…"

"I'm sorry." Kratos whispered.

"What?" Lloyd stared at him.

"I failed to protect you all those years ago." The human shook his head sadly.

"Look, I'm not sure what you're babbling about, but if you're trying to distract me from my work, you're failing miserably." Lloyd raised his sword to Kratos's neck.

"What did Yggdrasill tell you about your parents?"

"… Why would you care?"

"I'm just curious how a kid like you got involved with a bastard like Yggdrasill."

"Don't speak that way about him!" Lloyd growled. Kratos could feel the cold steel of his sword pressing against his throat. "Yggdrasill took care of me, taught me everything I know, when my own parents had gotten rid of me."

"Gotten rid of you?" Kratos inquired.

"They dumped me! Left me behind when I was just a kid." Anger flashed in his dark brown eyes.

"I see… That's what he'd _want_ you believe…" the human stared blankly at the ground.

"Okay, it's been nice chatting with you and all, but it's about time you started dying." Lloyd ignored the man's musings, and got ready to follow his orders. He was stopped when Kratos peered at him intently.

"Lloyd, you're my son."

"W-what?" the boy stepped back, his eyes widening.

"Twenty years ago, when Yggdrasill burned down my house, he destroyed every possession I had. I thought you had been lost too. Obviously, I was mistaken." Kratos's voice cracked slightly, as tears started rolling down his face.

"You… You lie!" Lloyd raised his sword again. "You're trying to get me to spare your life! My parents dumped me!"

"Is it really so hard to believe Yggdrasill would do something like this? You've known him for twenty years now."

"I-I…" A strange expression formed on Lloyd's face. Was it fear? He threw his sword to the ground and ran. The door slammed shut, leaving Kratos all alone. All this time he had mourned for his son, Yggdrasill had been raising him. Feeding him lies. Tears continued to roll down Kratos's cheeks. He could faintly hear Yuan screaming in pain. And this time, there was nothing he could do about it.

* * *

Lloyd was anxiously pacing through the halls of the hideout, trying to think of what to do. It took him several hours to calm down. This man claimed to be his father. Claimed that he'd been lied to for nearly all his life. That he'd forcefully been taken from his family. But was it true? He wouldn't put it past Yggdrasill. But he couldn't confront him about it either. How would he figure out which of the two was telling the truth? 

Making up his mind, he entered the room where Yggdrasill's new pet was being held. The man was lying curled up in a corner, shivering in misery. He didn't even look up when Lloyd approached him.

"You're Yuan, correct?" Lloyd asked, glaring down at him.

The half-elf nodded numbly, and closed his eyes.

"You were there, twenty years ago?" the boy continued.

"Twenty years ago… Yes." Yuan mumbled absentmindedly.

"Did Kratos Aurion have a son?"

"He did. Until Yggdrasill killed him. Kratos was devastated, and it was all my fault."

"What happened?" Lloyd urged.

"A fire. Nothing was left." Yuan shook his head sadly.

"… A fire…" Lloyd repeated.

"Lloyd!" a voice behind him called sharply.

Lloyd got to his feet and turned to face Yggdrasill. The thief did not look very pleased.

"Why are you here? My pet needs… rest."

Yuan shivered again, and pulled his cloak closer around him.

"I needed to verify something. Do not interfere." Lloyd snapped.

"Verify? Tch. What did that man tell you?" Yggdrasill crossed his arms impatiently.

"Interesting story. He said that he's my father. And that you took me away from him when I was little."

"Lies. He's just tricking you into letting him live." The blonde shook his head.

"Oh really? Then why do their stories match? Both him and your pet speak of a fire, in which his son was supposedly killed. Are you sure _you_'re not the one lying?" Lloyd snapped.

"Very well. That man is your father. But that does not change a thing." Yggdrasill growled. "He left you for dead, and ran away. I gave you a direct order to kill him, and you have no choice but to follow it."

"But-"

"Remember that I was he one who raised you. I made you what you are today, and I can just as easily take it away." Yggdrasill's eyes narrowed in contempt.

Lloyd let out a low snarl, and brushed past him.

* * *

Breathing heavily in anger, Lloyd opened the door to Kratos's cell. The man was still hanging there, his head drooping forward slightly. When he heard Lloyd enter, he looked up with lifeless ruby eyes. 

"Tell me." Lloyd said, sitting down in front of him.

"Tell you what?" Kratos asked, tilting his head slightly.

"Everything. About my mother, about where we used to live… What I used to be like…"

Kratos nodded, and began his story. He told Lloyd about how his mother died, about Flanoir, that the boy used to love bedtime stories, but hated porridge… And how they met Yuan.

At the end, Lloyd simply nodded and got to his feet again.

"You realise, ofcourse I have no choice but to do as Yggdrasill told me?" he asked, unsheathing his sword.

"Yes." Kratos nodded sadly. "But before you do, I have two favours to ask of you."

"Favours?" Lloyd repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"First, I want you to promise me you'll help Yuan escape. He's been through enough trouble in his life. He doesn't deserve to be stuck here." Tears rolled down Kratos's face again.

"I'll see what I can do." Lloyd sighed. "What's the second favour?"

"I'd like you to give me a hug."

"W-what?" Lloyd could almost feel his jaw drop.

"It's been twenty years. And before I die, I just want to held by my son once more." Kratos hung his head slightly.

"Very well." Lloyd approached his father, and wrapped an arm around his shoulder with difficulty.

"I'm sorry." Kratos whispered.

"You're forgiven, dad." Lloyd replied, not breaking the embrace until his sword was pushed deeply into Kratos's gut, drenching them both in blood.

* * *

((... Ouch. Kratos is in pain nowz...)) 


	20. Wounded

Tales of Symphonia, vale of misery.

((A/N: 6 reviews! Thanks to **Koeji**, **Nife**, **Katandshadow**, **Crystaladept** and **ObligueFireAngel**! Also, to **Silver Latias**; Yuan doesn't just _seem_ to be getting raped... He _is_ getting raped. Or well... Not anymore now. Heh.

This chapter turned out too short, but it was another rush job. Which is why I couldn't let it get beta-read. I'm way too behind with writing...))

* * *

Chapter twenty. 

Glancing around apprehensively, Lloyd entered Yuan's cell a few minutes later. Yggdrasill was nowhere in sight. Unconsciously clenching his fists, he approached the man, who was still lying curled up on the floor. Freeing him would not be an easy task. He was wearing a large metal collar, that was chained to the wall. Lloyd ran his fingers past the lock, knowing that only Yggdrasill would have the keys. Yuan's eyes snapped open, and the boy immediately raised a finger to his mouth, signalling for the man to stay quiet. Yuan obediently kept his lips sealed, but stared at Lloyd with a confused expression.

The door suddenly slammed open, as Yggdrasill once again came storming in.

"Lloyd! Would you mind explaining why you are intent on bothering my pet?" he growled, crossing his arms.

"I have a promise to fulfil. If you stand in my way, I'll be forced to kill you." Lloyd replied simply, getting to his feet and turning to face the thief.

"Kill me?" Yggdrasill laughed coldly. "You forget your place, little boy."

"It's not so unusual for a student to surpass his master." Lloyd unsheathed his sword and gripped it tightly.

"Looks like I'll have to teach you some manners again." Yggdrasill smirked, summoning an energy blast to the palm of his hand. Lloyd raised his weapon, glaring at him.

Yuan sat up weakly, trying to watch the battle before him. The two moved with such an incredible speed, it was almost too fast for the normal eye to follow. But how? Lloyd was just a normal human being, wasn't he? Unless…

Just as Lloyd jumped back for a second to catch his breath, Yuan squinted slightly. There, on the back of the boy's hand, was an exsphere. But not just any exsphere. It was one of the Cruxis exspheres. The one that Yggdrasill had stolen from him twenty years ago.

"Giving up already?" the blonde thief taunted, smirking at his apprentice.

Letting out a low snarl, Lloyd returned to battle. The air crackled with magic, and Lloyd's sword occasionally clashed against a wall. But that didn't seem to bother the boy one bit.

Suddenly, the battle froze as Yggdrasill stopped dead in his tracks. Lloyd had managed to stab him in the chest, a few inches away from his heart.

"Son of a bitch." The thief spat, grabbing Lloyd's sword and pushing it out of him. But it only made things worse, as blood immediately started rushing down his body. With a light groan, Yggdrasill fell backwards, defeated at last.

"I'll be taking this." Lloyd said, reaching into the man's pockets and pulling out a bunch of keys. The boy hadn't left the battle completely unharmed, as he too had a few bruises and cuts. But nothing life threatening. He approached the blue-haired half-elf and knelt down next to him, fumbling with the keys to try and unlock the metal collar.

Yuan stared at Yggdrasill's body, a strange chill running up his spine. Something was amiss. This couldn't be the end.

"There you go." Lloyd said, as the collar clicked and fell to the ground.

"Where's Kratos?" Yuan asked. Something was wrong. He could feel it.

"Into the cellar and down the hall." The boy replied, getting this feet and leaving the room without glancing back.

Yuan shakily got to his feet, and hurried past Yggdrasill's lifeless body.

* * *

Gulping nervously, Yuan stepped through the hallway in the basement. His footsteps faintly echoed off the walls. What kind of place was this anyway? 

He stopped when he reached a door on the far left. This had to be the one. He pushed it open, and his eyes widened in shock. There, on the wall, was Kratos. Blood was dripping down his leg, and forming a pool underneath him. Was this Lloyd's doing?

"Kratos!" he quickly ran towards his friend, and grabbed the man's chin, lifting his face slightly. Kratos opened his eyes, and stared blankly at him.

"Yu… an…" he muttered.

"Kratos, I'm so sorry. I'll… I'll get you out of here." Tears started running down Yuan's face, but he ignored them, as he fumbled with the keys Lloyd had left behind. After finally finding the right one, he quickly unlocked the shackles that bound Kratos to the wall. The human slumped to the ground with a soft groan.

"This… This is all my fault." Yuan sobbed, kneeling down besides the man to check on his injury. It looked very serious, and needed treatment. Fast.

He tried to scoop Kratos up from the ground, but stumbled and fell to knees again.

"Just… leave me. Save… yourself." Kratos stammered.

"No! You saved me too many times. I'm not going to run and let you die." Yuan summoned his last energy, and tried to lift his companion from the ground again. He had to be strong, for Kratos's sake. His knees shaking slightly, he managed to stand up straight with the human in his arms. Not wasting any time, he headed out the door.

* * *

As Yuan stepped into the cold outside air, fear rushed through him. Where were they? They were surrounded by a thick mountain range and forests, the only sign of civilisation being the shack they just exited. 

Kratos let out a low groan, snapping Yuan back to reality. He didn't have time to stand around. The only option he had was to start walking, and hope he'd run into someone. If only his knees would stop shaking…

After half an hour of pushing his way through trees, he fell to his knees, breathing heavily. That was it then. They were going to die, lost in the wilderness. Yuan sighed, brushing some of Kratos's auburn bangs out of his face. The human was alive, but barely.

"Oh dear!"

Yuan looked up to see a woman with short white hair staring down at him. A half-elf. She was carrying a small purse with her, filled with herbs. Quickly sinking through her knees, she inspected Kratos's wound.

"This doesn't look good."

"P-Please. Help him." Yuan stuttered desperately, glancing up at her.

"Carry him to my house." The woman said, getting to her feet again. Yuan nodded, and scooped his friend up from the ground again with a groan.

'We're going to be fine. We're going to be fine.' He thought, trying to give himself hope as he walked after the woman.

* * *

((Kratos is dying! -_sniff sniff_-)) 

((On the plus side; Yggy is dead!))


	21. The Healer

Tales of Symphonia, vale of misery.

((A/N: Again, sorry I'm a day late! I seem to be suffering from a mix between writers block, time shortage and annoying family. I actually had to finish this chapter by editting the document in the document archive thingie. Eheheh...

8 reviews, if I'm not mistaken! Thanks everyone! And in reply to **Koeji**, because I could not resist; Yes, it may seem cliché, but who says they're saved now?))

* * *

Chapter twenty one. 

The three soon reached a small house, slightly hidden between the trees. The woman hurriedly opened the front door, and led Yuan to a bedroom on the first floor.

"Put him down on the bed, and take off his shirt." She said, grabbing a first aid kit from one of the shelves and rummaging through it.

Yuan nodded and did as he was told. Blood immediately started to stain the sheets red.

"Looks like he might be able to survive if we hurry and close the wound with stitches." The woman pondered. "Fill a bucket with water from the well outside."

"Okay." Yuan ran out the door, and into the cold air again. He approached the well and stared down at it, running the woman's words through his head. 'He _might_ be able to survive.'. That didn't soon so positive. Who was she anyway? A doctor of some kind?

Snapping out of his musings, he quickly started lowering a bucket into the water. He'd have to try his best to help this woman.

* * *

About an hour later, the woman was tightly wrapping up Kratos's stitched injury. 

"He's lost a lot of blood. I can't guarantee he will wake up again." She sighed.

Yuan stared at Kratos's unconscious form, a strange feeling tugging at his heart.

"But… What happened?" the woman closed the first aid kit with a snap, and placed it back on the shelf.

"It's a… long story." Yuan sighed, and felt a need to change the subject. "Oh, we haven't been properly introduced yet. I'm Yuan, and this is Kratos."

"My name is Raine." The woman said with a faint smile.

"Oh! I thought you looked familiar!" Yuan exclaimed, staring at her.

"What do you mean?"

"You're Virginia's daughter, right?"

"You've met my mother?" Raine asked, her expression suddenly turning gloomy.

"Yes. We're originally from Tethe'alla. She was the one who directed us to the Otherworldly gate. And we promised her we'd tell you that… She's sorry."

"That foolish woman." Raine turned away and stared at the floor. "She left me to fend for myself when I was just a little girl, in a world I knew nothing of. Apologising just won't cut it."

"I can see your point. But she did seem genuinely sorry." Yuan said, and suddenly yawned widely.

"You could use a good rest yourself." Raine said with a frown. "You can go clean your clothes in the nearby river, and then sleep in my room."

Yuan looked down at his clothes,that were covered in Kratos's blood. And then a thought hit him. "Where would you sleep?"

"I'll stay awake for now." Raine replied gently.

Normally, Yuan would've turned an offer like this down. But he truly was extremely tired. Casting one last look at his fallen friend, he got to his feet and left the room.

* * *

Though as much as Yuan tried to get rest, he couldn't. He would constantly be tossing and turning in bed, worried sick about his companion, until he found his way back to the chair next to Kratos's bed. Spending his time staring at his pale and lifeless body, hoping he would wake up soon. 

Raine tried to convince him to go back to his own bed, but it was no use. So instead, she got Yuan to tell her all about their travels. When he told her about the special exspheres, she suddenly got extremely hyperactive, and begged him if she could research them. Yuan agreed, not really giving a damn if he was going to be used as a guinea pig.

Meanwhile, he'd also sent a message to Zelos in Palmacosta, telling him that Kratos was hurt, and including a map of how to get to Raine's house. It took him a few days to reply, in person.

"Father!"

Yuan looked up sharply. A young man was suddenly standing in the doorway, breathing heavily.

"Zelos, how did you get here so fast?" Yuan asked, slighty astounded.

"The second I got your message, I borrowed a rheaird from the Church of Sylvarant. The journey only took me two days." Zelos explained, entering the room and glancing around. Yuan smiled faintly, remembering that that same journey had once cost him and Kratos over six months.

"What happened?" Zelos grabbed a chair, and sat down next to Kratos's bed too.

"Yggdrasill returned. With Lloyd." Yuan stared blankly at the ground.

"Wh- Yggdrasill? And _Lloyd_?" the redhead stuttered. He had heard that Yggdrasill was Yuan's old partner, and also that Lloyd was Kratos's son, who died in a fire Yggdrasill had caused. But he wasn't aware of the details.

Yuan quickly summarised what had happened a few days ago, and what caused Kratos to end up like this. When he'd finished, he stared blankly ahead.

"That's horrible." Zelos muttered, slightly at loss for words. It took him a moment to snap out of it. "Well, you go and get some sleep, and I'll watch over him."

"Why do people keep insisting I need sleep?" Yuan sighed tiredly.

* * *

Suddenly, they were interrupted by a loud agonised groan from the bed. Yuan turned back to see Kratos stirring uneasily. 

"Go get Raine." He told Zelos, who nodded and ran off.

Kratos made a faint whimpering sound, clawing at the bed sheets.

"Easy, Kratos. I'm here." Yuan took the human's hand in his own, and gripping it assuringly.

"Y-Yuan." Kratos's eyes fluttered open, staring blankly ahead. "What's happening? W-why-" he broke off rather abruptly, sweat rolling down his face, as the door slammed open again. Raine entered, followed by Zelos.

"Ah, I see he's already awake. That's good." The woman said, feeling Kratos's forehead.

"Why… Why can't I see?" the human whispered, panicking.

Yuan let out a faint gasp, and stared into Kratos's ruby eyes. They were wide open, but unseeing.

"It's just temporary." Raine responded softly.

"Don't worry. We're all here for you. Me and Zelos… And Raine." Yuan brushed some hair out of his friend's face. "Remember Raine? Virginia's daughter?"

Kratos nodded weakly, closing his eyes again. "What happened to Yggdrasill?"

"Lloyd killed him." Yuan replied shortly.

"Lloyd?" Kratos repeated.

"Yes. He battled him, and won, before helping me."

"Heh, so he kept to his promise." The human smiled faintly.

"Well now, everyone out. This man needs rest." Raine called suddenly, shushing Zelos out of the room.

"Get better soon, okay?" Yuan tried to give Kratos a hug, but the man responded with a pained expression.

The three flooded into the hallway, and Raine closed the door behind her with a snap.

"I'm afraid it's more serious than I thought." she muttered.

"What? But you said-" Yuan began, but he was cut off.

"Loss of sight is never a good omen." Raine shook her head sadly, staring at the floor.

"T-Then..." Yuan felt his face being drained from blood, and noticed that Zelos had turned pale too.

"So, he's still alive then? I expected as much." said a voice behind them.

* * *

((Dun dun duuuun! ... Okay, I'm pretty sure everyone already knows who the mystery voice belongs to.)) 

((Oh, little bit of info I forgot to add. Yggy's hideout was located where the Tower of Salvation would normally be. It's pretty close to Hima. -_nod nod_-))


	22. Misery

Tales of Symphonia, vale of misery.

((A/N: Welcome everyone, to the final chapter of Vale of Misery! I wanna thank everyone who read up to this point, and hasn't lost interest yet. Also, I need to apologise for the lateness of this chapter. Eheheh... Oh, and apologise to **Nife** for once again not being able to let her beta-read.

Oh, and I need to say I'm a bit amused so many people assumed the mystery voice belong to Yggy. I assure you, he _is_ dead this time.))

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Chapter twenty two. 

"Lloyd." Yuan said, feeling his stomach sink even lower.

"He's Lloyd?" Raine blinked faintly.

"Why have you come here?" Yuan asked, still feeling resentful towards the boy.

"I came to see Kratos." Lloyd responded simply, crossing his arms.

"I won't let you near father!" Zelos growled, unsheathing his sword and moving in front of the door.

"Father?" Lloyd repeated, sounding slightly amused. "So he found himself a new son, did he? Thought he could just replace me?"

"You're wrong." Yuan said immediately, shaking his head. "We took Zelos in because his mother was killed, and he had no other place to go. Kratos made it clear from the first day that he could never replace you."

"Tch." Lloyd looked away sharply.

"Arrogant bastard." Zelos snarled dangerously.

"People, please. Kratos needs to rest." Raine shushed, jerking her head slightly at the door leading to the bedroom. "Now, if Lloyd wants to stay, I cannot kick him out. It might be against Kratos's wishes."

"But-" Zelos began, but he was immediately cut off.

"As long as he does not show any hostility, he is allowed to stay." Raine said again, more forcefully this time.

Yuan nodded, knowing that the woman had a point. Sure, he still had hard feelings towards the boy, because of what he'd done. But he'd also killed Yggdrasill, and seemed to regret wounding Kratos.

Zelos crossed his arms, seething slightly.

"Good. Now, you and Lloyd can sleep in my room, Yuan can sleep on the couch, and I'll find my old sleeping bag." Raine decided.

"What? I'm not staying in the same room as _him_!" Zelos shouted, pointing an accusing finger at Lloyd.

"You are an agent of the church of Sylvarant, aren't you? Surely, you can take care of yourself?"

"I-I… Uh…"

"Good, then it's settled." Raine smirked superiorly, before walking off.

Yuan had to hand it to the woman. She was an expert in manipulation.

* * *

That evening, Yuan tried to fall asleep, but found it impossible. A bad feeling was gnawing at the pit of his stomach. Like something horrible was waiting to happen. But then again, when have his gut feelings ever been right? 

Being careful not to wake Raine, he got up from the couch and entered the hallway. The door to Lloyd and Zelos's room was open at a crack, and light was streaming out. A conversation was taking place there.

His curiosity getting the better of him, Yuan quickly peeked into the room to see Lloyd sitting on the bed, and glaring up at Zelos, who was standing in front of him. The half-elf leaned back against the wall to listen.

"You think you can just get away with stabbing people?" Came Zelos's voice.

"I didn't have that much of a choice, did I?" Lloyd retorted.

"Yeah right. There's always a choice. You're just a sick bastard!"

"You have no right to judge me! You don't know what my life's been like."

"I think I can imagine."

"No, you can't." Lloyd snapped. "_You_ got a second chance! When you lost your family, you were taken in by two loving parents! I never had that opportunity. I was snatched away from my father, and raised by a filthy thief."

"Lloyd, I-"

"So you should just consider yourself lucky! You lived the life I never had!" Lloyd's voice cracked slightly.

Yuan thought it might be best to just leave, and let the boys finish this fight themselves. But then he heard footsteps, and a creak. Zelos had sat down on the bed.

"W-What are you doing?"

Lloyd was stuttering?

"I'll share my luck with you."

Peeking around the corner again, Yuan's eyes widened slightly. Zelos was kissing Lloyd on the lips, and at the same time undoing the boy's shirt. Not that Lloyd was putting up much of a fight…

Tch, leave it to Zelos to try and solve something with sex. Where had he gotten that from? And then Yuan remembered a certain night in Exire. '... Oh yeah…'

* * *

"Yuan, wake up!" 

It had been a few hours since Yuan was finally able to fall asleep. Sadly, he was awoken by someone shaking him.

"Ugh… What?" He muttered, blinking sleepily, as Lloyd's face came into focus.

"It's Kratos. He's getting worse."

"What!" Yuan quickly stumbled off the couch, and followed Lloyd into Kratos's room.

The human looked even paler than before, as he breathed heavily. Raine and Zelos were sitting next to him, a bit unsure what to do.

"What's wrong with him?" Yuan demanded, sitting down on the edge of the bed and running his fingers past Kratos's face.

"The internal damage was very severe and… He's lost too much blood." Raine stammered.

"No! T-There has to be something you can do!" Yuan shouted. A whole mix of emotions was swirling through him, leaving him incredibly confused.

Raine shook her head sadly.

"Yuan…" Kratos whispered hoarsely.

Yuan gasped and looked down, grabbing the human's hand in his own.

"I'm… not going to make it."

"Don't say that! You have to… You have to keep fighting." Tears started to roll down Yuan's face, as sadness finally struck him.

"I can't. I'm too… tired." Kratos took a deep breath, shifting uneasily in pain.

"I'm sorry. It's all my fault." Yuan whispered. "I should have never met you."

"No." Kratos managed to shake his head slightly. "I'm glad that you did. You made my life complete."

"Foolish human." Yuan started to shake heavily.

"Are you… crying?" Kratos asked, but he got no response. "You shouldn't. Tears… don't suit you."

"Father…" Zelos mumbled weakly. The redhead was crying too.

"Zelos, be a good boy. You too, Lloyd…" the human whispered. Lloyd, who had gone extremely pale, gave a faint nod that went unnoticed.

"Why are you giving up so soon?" Yuan demanded, his voice cracking. "You're normally such a stubborn jackass."

"You're forgetting… death isn't the end."

Yuan sobbed softly, still gripping the human's hand. Kratos exhaled slowly, growing limp in his lover's embrace.

"K-Kratos?" Yuan stuttered. There was no response. Raine burst into silent tears and looked away, as Lloyd ran from the room.

"You bastard. It's unfair of you to get absorbed into a world of your own, and leave me behind!"

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((-_starts handing out tissues_- Sniff sniff... Well, atleast he's in a better place now... It's called bishie heaven!)) 

((That last line was a reference to chapter 19! Remember that? When Kratos was reading a book, Yuan said the exact same thing to him.))

((Stay tuned for the epilogue, and uh... Don't kill me!))


	23. A Star In Heaven

Tales of Symphonia, vale of misery.

((A/N: Ah, I haven't been killed too much... Yet...))

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Epilogue. 

He stood on top of a mountain, overlooking Hima. His blue hair rustled in the wind listlessly. The day had been tiring. Too tiring. But then again, it was _his_ idea to make Hima Kratos's final resting place. It had taken hours to dig a grave in the graveyard just outside the town. His heart was torn apart when it had been closed again. But even though Yuan was surrounded by people who tried to comfort him, there was no point. Something inside him had died, along with the human. Sighing, he glanced upwards at the sky.

"Dad."

Yuan quickly wiped the tears off his cheeks, and turned to face Zelos. Lloyd was standing just a short distance away. They both looked very worried.

"Raine returned home just now. She kept on apologising, but I told her nobody blamed her."

"Ah. Good." Yuan crossed his arms, shivering slightly.

"Oh, she also asked me to give you this." Zelos reached into his pocket, and took out a small crystal.

"That's…" Yuan accepted the crystal, and stared at it. It was Kratos's exsphere. His eyes filling up with tears again, he looked up at Zelos. "Thank you."

"Lloyd said he wanted to join the agents of the Church of Sylvarant too. I'll be taking him to Palmacosta with me. You should come along." The boy urged.

"No. My place is here. I made a promise to Kratos, and I'm going to keep it." Yuan smiled faintly, even though pain was written across his face.

"Then… I guess this is goodbye." Zelos wrapped his arms around the half-elf, holding him tightly for a moment before breaking off again. "Are you sure you'll be alright?"

"Yes, I'll be fine." Yuan said with a slight nod. "Go on."

"Farewell, father." Zelos turned, and joined up with Lloyd. The two boys walked off together.

Yuan glanced at the crystal in his hand again, remembering something Raine had said a couple of days ago. These special exspheres could grow stronger, by absorbing the life of the person who wore it. Which meant that with it, he had a small chance of bringing Kratos back. He longed heavily to be held by the one he loved once more. But… would it be the right thing to do? Messing with the laws of nature, for his own selfish needs?

Breathing deeply, he raised his right hand, and took his own exsphere out of the keycrest. He stared at the two crystals, as they gleamed evilly in the light of the stars. Making up his mind, he flung them both at the ground. They immediately shattered into countless shining pieces, that shot into different directions.

This was it. There was no turning back now. Approaching the edge of the cliff before him, he took one last look at the night sky. There was only one way to be freed of his misery, and rejoin his loved one. All doubt leaving his heart, he closed his eyes and took a step forward, to join Kratos as a star in heaven.

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((... -_starts handing out more tissues_-)) 

((Thank you all for reading and reviewing! I enjoyed writing this story, and... Uh... I'm surprised people actually read it.))


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